I want kale (which I despise and have tried every way possible but still find to be like oak leaves) to taste like chocolate. Something good for me should be pleasant.
I want running to be as delightful as eating a tub of buttered popcorn in a movie theater. (Remember that?) Something that is healthy should be enjoyable.
I want refusing seconds to be as simple as falling asleep after Thanksgiving dinner. Something wise should be easy.
Yet none of these scenarios is reality. “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do,” the saying goes. “If it tasted good, it wouldn’t be good for you,” Mom used to say as she gave us that nasty cough syrup. “You’re gonna run the stadium steps until the geese fly over and the cows come home,” Coach used to tell us.
Life brings us hard times: losing someone we love, going through job loss, recognizing the way we live is not in line with God’s plan, having a tree come down on our house, or going without power for four days or more. During these hard times, we need to look closely at where our true hope lies and discover once again that we need to return to the Lord who loves us, who redeemed us, who gifted us, and who calls us to follow Him.
Sometimes being “grounded BY God” helps us become grounded IN God!