I recently caught up with a friend from college who has been doing college ministry with international students, and one of the phrases she used in the course of our conversation has stayed with me into this new year. She talked about the good, hard life that God has us in on this journey with Him on earth. Some seasons are more good than hard, and some are more hard than good, but as we join with “all creation groaning for redemption,” (Rom. 8) there will always be a mixture of both.

In my own life, when there’s been a lot more hard than good–extra self-focused children (and their parents!), physical pain, fatigue, overwhelm over responsibilities–it’s been difficult to imagine what purposes God might have in it all. His good in my hard. He gives glimmers of hope in it, but it’s a lot of just asking for the grace to make it through the day.

But in the seasons where the good has seemed to outweigh my “hard,” it has often been a meaningful time of reflecting on how God has been using the “hard”–more intentional times of praying for my children’s hearts and my own, humbly accepting my God-given capacity, and praying for those I’d like to be able to help in a more tangible way.

It’s involved learning new ways to worship Him through trying new and nourishing recipes, getting an additional fridge to make it easier to host people in our home, experiencing the beauty in rhythms of fasting and feasting, keeping neck and shoulder pain at bay through physical therapy strengthening exercises on a tablet at home, and enjoying the confidence in what we are currently doing in our homeschool rather than second-guessing everything or comparing myself to what others are choosing.

So much of this life with Christ is moving in the direction we think He’s leading us, based on what He calls us to in His Word, praying all along the way, and trusting that He will redirect as needed. We’ve had plenty of stops and starts this past year, times I’ve gotten excited about moving in a specific direction based on a book or idea that’s come into my head, and God has delayed it or put it on hold indefinitely. There have been so many unexpected situations that I’ve needed to seek Him in, the only firm ground being His character and His promise to be with me.

No matter what happens this next year, I know it will be filled with lots of good and lots of hard. But I can trust that God is more than enough to lead me in and through it all until that sweet day when the hard will only be the content of our worship poetry and songs of praise for all of eternity.