Your closest relationships are those where you’ve endured hard times together.

Think about someone very close to you: your spouse, a loved one, or your best friend.

More than likely, this relationship didn’t become stronger during easy times. Rather, it strengthened during the hard times where you needed support.

Our relationship with Jesus should follow this pattern.

We don’t grow to know how much He loves us in the midst of perfect times. It’s the times where life is crumbling that we begin to draw closer to Him.

This doesn’t mean that God wants us to suffer but it does mean that He uses suffering for our benefit.

It’s in this place, that you begin to realize that your suffering has no comparison to His peace.