If you have been following along with my weekly thoughts you will have surmised that I am intrigued by paradoxes — verifiable truths despite initial impressions. For example, love multiplies when it is given away, or as my thought for this week, blessings very often spring from hardship. Life inevitably brings seasons of pressure that none of us can fully escape. Trouble, grief, and pain arrive in many forms, yet these hard places are never the end of the story for we who walk with God. When we invite Him into our struggles, something beautiful begins to take shape. Suffering, though real and often intense, becomes the soil in which lasting blessings grow.
Peter wrote to believers who were facing real hardship. He offered them this promise: “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation” (1 Peter 5:10, NLT). Notice the phrase “a little while.” Our present pain is temporary when measured against the eternal glory God has prepared. The difficulty has an expiration date; but the blessing does not.
Paul proclaims the same truth: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17, NLT). What feels heavy today is producing something far more substantial and lasting. Character, hope, and deeper dependence on God are forged in these fires—qualities that will shine throughout eternity.
Of course, this is not a new idea. In the Old Testament, Job, after enduring unimaginable loss, declared with quiet confidence, “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold” (Job 23:10, NLT). Although God takes no pleasure in our hardships He does not let the refining process go to waste.
Isaiah also speaks words of comfort to those walking through deep waters and fire: “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2, NLT). The presence of God changes everything. We are never alone in the trial.
God’s purpose is always restoration and growth. The word Peter uses for “restore” carries the sense of mending what is torn, setting what is broken, and fitting things together as they should be—like repairing a fishing net or setting a broken bone. Everything that enters a believer’s life is used by the Father to shape us more fully into the likeness of His Son. He is the “God of all grace,” the One whose kindness never runs dry. Healing grace, pardoning grace, sustaining grace, and strengthening grace all flow from His endless supplies.
Jesus Himself invites the weary to come close: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28, NLT). At the throne of grace we find exactly what we need in the moment of need. Hebrews reminds us, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16, NLT).
In the same way as a butterfly can only survive if it has to struggle to free itself from its cocoon, suffering produces spiritual muscle. Paul writes that we can even “rejoice”—different than “enjoy”— in our problems because “they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation” (Romans 5:3-4, NLT). James joins in with similar encouragement: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4, NLT).
In extreme cases the Lord is especially near when hearts are broken. “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34:18, NLT). And for those who keep trusting Him through the long stretch, Isaiah promises renewed strength: “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31, NLT).
So when pressure inevitably comes—whether it’s through illness, loss, opposition, or quiet daily struggles—we are invited to lean into the God of all grace. The suffering is very real and uncomfortable, but it is also temporary. On the other side of the “little while” stands a Father who restores, supports, strengthens, and establishes His children on a firm foundation. Out of the very places that feel most painful, He brings blessings that could come no other way—blessings that will last forever.
I pray that your troubles may be few and short, but that your growth will be great and blessed!
Blessings on you and yours,
Jim Black
P.S. if you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://blog.salvationarmyconcordca.org
Appendix: Scriptures Referenced
1 Peter 5:10 2 Corinthians 4:17 Job 23:10 Isaiah 43:2 Matthew 11:28 Hebrews 4:16 Romans 5:3-4 James 1:2-4 Psalm 34:18 Isaiah 40:31