Growth is rarely as straightforward and smooth as we might like. In fact, it tends to be a rather bumpy road and things often get worse before they get better. And when this chaos comes, we must hold on with a confident hope that we’re still on the way toward God’s best.
Occasionally, roads must be expanded as the population of a city grows. But going from a two-lane to a four-lane highway involves much road construction and driver frustration along the way.
Elements of the old must be broken down in order for the new to take its place. And, for a while, things are much more chaotic. We don’t have easy access to the old or the new as things are being rebuilt.
And while we know the work won’t last forever and better conditions are coming, we must still learn to tolerate things getting worse first.
And the same is true throughout much of our life and relationships.
For instance, the honeymoon of marriage doesn’t last forever. And often we must go through a number of hard seasons before finding our sweet spot with each other.
And, to be sure, it’s very disruptive and disheartening when in the middle of our suffering. The honeymoon is a distant memory and we don’t yet see the new that’s coming.
And when things start to get worse, it’s tempting to just give up. This is not how it should be! Things should be getting better!
But like the road construction, we must allow for a season or two of things getting worse on our path toward better.
There are many old habits to unlearn. And we must also embrace the awkwardness of learning how to dance with each other again in this new season.
In the end, we miss the good God has for us when our hope doesn’t transcend our difficult days.
Don’t lose heart when things get hard. Things often get worse before they get better. But live in hope and discover all the good God has for you.
