Struggles drive us deeper.  We consider it joy to suffer, not because suffering is necessarily pleasant, but because it is the best way to grow in our knowledge of God.  When balance is restored in our lives, we are awe-struck by the lessons we have learned regarding the interface of an all-powerful God with our human imperfections.  Our faith doesn’t look quite the same, which means we may never correctly say we are “back to normal.”  Yet, we are stronger because we have become less rigid and more open to the possibilities contained within the mind of a Heavenly Father who knows no limits.

In our home we have an old calendar lithograph with two wild horses, one white and one black, caught up in a lightning storm.  The black horse appears to be sheltering the white one, so I tell people the picture represents the courageous way I protect my wife from danger.  She just smiles.

I love the picture because it used to hang in an upstairs hallway in my grandparent’s home, and even today I remember seeing it as they carried me to bed.  The history of the original work of art is a mystery.  Several variations were produced for business calendars and even currency, but I have yet to find anyone who has identified the artist.  However, there is an artist, and speculating on his mind and motivation is nearly as exciting as the picture itself.

Journeying to the greater depths of God’s love and grace is not always easy, but it is always fulfilling.  The knowledge we encounter takes us beyond human logic.  Our faith, developed in the shadows of our darkest valleys is almost always abnormal.

Do your struggles drive you keeper into the arms of God, or lead to estrangement?  Can you choose which outcome you are going to experience?

Dear God, keep me moving in the right direction.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.