I was sitting at the table with a worship pastor friend of mine, enjoying coffee and celebrating his retirement of 40 years in ministry. During his last 10 years at the church, because of his unique secular background, he had been the one in charge of overseeing his church’s building construction project as they purchased and repurposed an old shopping center.
I asked him, “As you reflect on your years of ministry, are there any conclusions you come to about God or yourself or ministry?”
He thought for a moment and then with a chuckle said, “I believe God loves a good struggle!”
There’s a curious line that runs through Scripture, from the patriarchs to the prophets to the apostles: God does some of His best work in the middle of a struggle. Jacob wrestles through the night and limps into blessing. Israel wanders for 40 years only to emerge as a people finally ready to trust. Paul writes from prison about joy. The cross itself—the most violent collision of divine love and human sin—is the ultimate picture of struggle transformed into redemption.
God doesn’t always guide us away from struggle or take it away from us. In fact, He often invites us into it, not to break us but to bless us. He redeems it. Struggle, rightly understood, is the arena where God’s grace trains us to participate in God’s transforming work.
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