Tag: trials

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Pressing on Toward Hope

A winding mountain road shrouded in clouds.
Exodus 5:7 (ESV)—“The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

The arrow on the GPS screen bounced like a Ping-Pong ball. It faced north, then south, then east and west. It located my husband and I on at least three different Chicago streets. We needed only the one direction, the way to the interstate. We drove onward until the arrow meandered along the blue line for blocks at a time.

Moses and Aaron, too, pressed onward to travel to the wilderness to offer sacrifices to God. Like our route, their route to exodus from Egypt included a few trials. Pharaoh’s sorcerers and magicians repeated God’s signs—a staff into a snake, the plague of blood, the plague of frogs—to Moses and Aaron. Even once Pharaoh’s people couldn’t repeat the signs, Pharaoh reverted his promise to release Moses and Aaron along with the Israelites into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to God.

However, God had a plan for these signs and wonders: irrefutable proof of his sovereign reign.

In the trials of everyday life, the route we travel is not perfectly mapped out. Road blocks force a change of direction. Fog makes it hard to see where we’re going. Severe weather stops our trip altogether. Yet God is always leading us toward his truth during these uncertainties, toward hope.

To walk toward hope, we cannot harden our hearts as did Pharaoh. Instead, we can open our hearts to God’s divine direction and seek irrefutable proof of his sovereign reign.

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Living for God’s Glory

A street in Rothenburg, Germany, with a tower at the end of the street. People walk along the street and cars are parked in the street.
1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)—Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

To plan a trip, I peruse tourism websites. Sites chock-full of pristine photos showing car-free streets and no crowds. “Perfect,” I think. But then I arrive and, while wielding my camera, I mutter, “Why can’t they get out of my shot?”

The early believers thought of Christianity like the pristine photos: the beauty of an eternal reward with no suffering. Peter explained, though, that Jesus suffered for their salvation and they, too, must live for God’s glory.

Living through these sufferings builds our Christ-like character. These tribulations add authenticity to our lives, like the people and cars make our vacation photos more real. We need not be surprised when our lives intersect with people whose lives contradict our beliefs.

Through God’s glory, we learn to love these people as Jesus did. We learn to not wish away our sufferings and instead to rejoice in God’s goodness and live for him during our trials.

A street with colorful buildings in Old San Juan. Cars are parked on the street.
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Jesus Upholds: A Journey in 2023

A dirt trail with trees on both sides, turning to the right
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)—He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Happy New Year, Everyone! Life is a journey, for sure, and this year I embarked not only on adventures on the West Coast and in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Birmingham, and Gulf Shores but also on a path of newness toward God. Looking back at 2023, I see God’s path unwinding like a switchback up a mountain.

Not so long ago, I prided myself on my independence. I lived life with an attitude of “I can go it alone.” My tune changed with an anxiety attack, one I believe God used to gain my attention to his lessons. I learned not only self-care such as meditation and yoga but also community care from my loved ones. God’s outcomes have filled my life with happiness, and these are only a few:

I shared my experiences through devotionals published on various websites.

I reached out to my family more often and shared some of my experiences.

I made an effort to expand my community through volunteering and organizing social activities.

I learned more about myself and the fruit of the Spirit I need to apply to myself.

I began memorizing Bible verses.


With each of these events, I see the connection between the trials and the joy and Jesus upholding my life. God used my reaching out in my troubles as an invitation for another to reach out to me in their troubles. I learned God’s Word to write devotionals and blog posts and subsequently used his Word to calm myself. I treated myself with the fruit of the Spirit and feel happier despite my trials.

Although my journey sometimes feels as if I’m trudging up a steep trail and I can’t see past the trees to the next turn, I know if I stay on his path, I’m traveling toward his glory. I invite you to review your 2023 and list ways God has touched your life. May you start 2024 with your mind on his glory!