I heard someone recently joke that we are now in Season 3 of the pandemic and wow, doesn’t that feel ridiculously accurate? It’s understandable that so many of us feel worn down, weak, fed up and discouraged. But there are also other “seasons” we’re caught up in—whether with struggling relationships, being out of work, a sick child, etc.—and I think we sometimes forget what it feels like to just not be . . . well, exhausted. The other day, my pastor said, “Many of us are limping into 2022,” and I thought to myself Yep, that about describes it.
Yet I’m also constantly reminded that it’s when we feel most discouraged and worn down, that God most wants us to have hope! As Romans 5:3-4 puts it, we can “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
As we continue moving forward in this “Season 3” of ours—or whatever season you find yourself in—let’s anticipate the ways God will use these times to help us grow stronger in endurance, character, and hope.
As just one example, enjoy the following excerpt from my devotional, Find Peace, about a difficult season for my son, Luke. And how God, in His infinite goodness and kindness, strengthened him in the most unexpected way. Today, Luke is applying to college mechanical engineering programs. He went from desperation to hope. We can, too.
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