So, you’re going through a hard time. A well-meaning friend at church, offering comfort and encouragement, reminds you of Romans 8:28, quoting kindly, ^”And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

You smile and thank the person for their shared wisdom. Somewhere inside you understand that there is Truth and good intention in the reminder, but in reality, hearing that verse doesn’t fix a darn thing. You love God with all your heart, but your jaw still aches from gritting your teeth, your stomach is still upset, and the problem is still there. Sheesh. Bible verses aren’t supposed to be platitudes we lob at each other. The Bible is a guidebook, an exhortation to aspire to grow and become better than you can be alone. The verses within offer comfort and courage and advice.

The chaotic trainwreck of your situation may be keeping you from grabbing hold of the advice and the peace offered in the Bible because it doesn’t take much effort to look around and see a host of situations that did not have happy endings. It isn’t Biblical Truth that is the hinderance, though, and this is THE most important idea to grasp.  

What keeps us from finding peace in God, and in His word is our attitude.  I was watching a show recently that included an interview with Demi Moore. I’m not a huge fan of hers, but something she said really resonated: regarding the events in a person’s life, she said

“Everything is happening for us, not to us.”

Interesting perspective, right? How differently would we react to life’s difficulties if we truly embraced this idea? If we could hold fast to the conviction that God isn’t out to get us, but that all that we experience is for our growth and good, wouldn’t those hard times be easier to maneuver?