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The Blessing of Burdens

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.  Isaiah 49:13

 

Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity. Out of pain and problems have come the sweetest songs, the most poignant poems, the most gripping stories, the most inspiring lives.

Yet it is hard to think about this when troubles over-whelm us or uncertainty and fear grip our hearts. Our problems are real, and it is difficult in the heat of the moment to think of anything else.

Our oldest daughter married a Swiss, and they often spend the summer in Switzerland. Sometimes when we have visited them, we have soared above the countryside on chairlifts high in the Alps. Looking down we can see almost a carpet of wildflowers, some of the most beautiful in the world. Only a few months before, those plants were buried under heavy snow. Yet that snow prepared the way for their growth--providing them with water and even insulating them from the winter winds. Our burdens can be like that snow, preparing the way for something beautiful once the winter is past.

From, HOPE for Each Day: Morning & Evening Devotions, by Billy Graham.