In Our Suffering, God Gives Us Grace Through Others

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 (ESV)

Another season of crippling anxiety and insomnia has left me depleted, fearful, and falling into the mercy and strength of Jesus. Body and mind exhausted, I have nothing left at the end of the day and implore God to show up for me.

And He does.

I take comfort in the steadfastness, strength, and optimism of my husband, Eric; in my mother’s care and practicality; and in the powerful scriptures prayed over me by friends who are always pointing me to God’s Word and His promises. I’m carried on the faith of others while I wait for mine to be renewed. They are evidence that God has not left me alone.

God often shows up for us through the people around us.

When we wonder where God is in the middle of our hurt and suffering, here He is: in those He’s placed in our lives. We find God’s grace through others when we drop our guard and admit that we need help, that we can’t hold it all together.

God made us to help each other (Genesis 2:18). Whether we’re digging deep in the trenches or dusting off shoulders and skinned knees to try again, we get to be God’s representatives when people desperately need Him.

God reaches out His arms toward us in the shape of a shoulder to cry on, a warm embrace on a lonely day, and a burst of laughter that lifts our hearts. He can even come to us in the face of a stranger who says just the right word our weary heart needs to hear.

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Honored to be at Proverbs 31 talking about the blessing of the people around us. Join me?