It is important to know the blessings and to rely on God's promises. Please don't misunderstand my point. But the blessings and promises of God in the Bible emerge from a real life's story that also knows that we live in a broken world and some days are tough. The stories of real lives in the Bible know that we are surrounded by hurting people for whom Psalm 22:1 echoes their normal day.

God] disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.

Redemptive suffering is an essential part of our master story. This is what it means for us to bear the image and likeness of God. By the power of the Holy Spirit, our suffering refines our charity, just as our charity transforms our suffering into a living sacrifice that allows God to have his way into our lives.

The easiest time to be faithful is during a time of crisis. The hardest time for faith is when all is well.

She knows how to suffer and at the same time how to laugh.

A time of crisis is not just a time of anxiety and worry. It gives a chance, an opportunity, to choose well or to choose badly.

The measure of every man's virtue is best revealed in time of adversity - adversity that does not weaken a man but rather shows what he is.

Honest to God, Bill, the way things are going, all I can think of is that I'm a character in a book by somebody who wants to write about somebody who suffers all the time.

How we handle our tough times stays with us for a long time.

Unmet expectations are tough when it's your wife or your husband, but it's really tough when it's God. And yet, it can be a time of growth and a time of faith, a time of understanding who God is.

Staying engaged with God is absolutely essential for getting through a tough time.

December is the toughest month of the year. Others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, October, August, and February.