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Romans 5: 2-5

"...And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."


At what point is it too much? At what point does life break our hearts and spirits and permanent damage is done? But I don't think we read this scripture and hear that God is saying to pretend to be happy. Life is painful and the situation we're currently facing sometimes feels like hell on earth. I don't believe in being fake happy Christians, coyly smiling at a dying hurt human race. No one needs that. What they need, what we all need, is hope. And that is what the scripture is saying. The only thing we all need from trials and suffering is hope. Our character evolves through perseverance and we are left with hope. Immediately after the verse says, "rejoice in our sufferings," it says that we get perseverance, character (both painful to gain) and finally, praise Jesus, we have hope. The only thing that doesn't disappoint us in this life is hope. Hope. Hope. Hope. Without the hope that Jesus' love brings into the depths of our hearts, things will break us beyond repair and the little pieces left from a shattered heart would be too teeny tiny and scattered to put back together. His hope repairs our loss and the damage caused from our pain and brokenness.

This hope is what keeps our minds from breaking under the pressures of our lives and all it's outside forces. If you're facing something that is too much for you to take, don't give up, and when you have the energy, and the tears stop flowing, let it build character in you. Take heart and smile because you have hope for tomorrow.