Some people I know are walking through incredibly hard seasons of life right now. I imagine you know others you would describe this way too — or perhaps it is you.
Disease. Death. Disappointment. These things happen to "good" people, people we may think don't deserve such heart-wrenching circumstances. In moments like these, it is easy to wonder: Where is God? Why them? Or even, Why me?
Maybe, like me, you have caught yourself thinking, Those good people don't deserve those hard circumstances. We often think of "good" and "hard" as opposites. Everything in life is either good or hard. Our minds like to summarize our day, our week, or even an entire season using one of those two words.
This is often what it looks like for me.
A "good" season is filled mostly with ease. Things I hoped would happen actually happen. No one cancels on me. My schedule isn't interrupted. What I planned for dinner turns out delicious, and no one complains! I think you get the idea. Life feels comfortable.
A "hard" season, on the other hand, feels like a struggle from beginning to end. Things take longer than I expected. People cancel. My plans are constantly interrupted. And dinner? Whoops... was I supposed to have that ready?
Most of these examples are rather trivial, but they are the kinds of things that fill our ordinary days. I imagine you can relate.
It is easy to place our days into the rigid categories of "good" or "hard." But when we do — and I say this without judgment because I do it often — we forget the One who is sovereign over every one of our days, even the ordinary, mundane moments.
If we truly believe that God is our Creator, our Sovereign, and our Saviour, then our evaluation of our days begins to change.
Oswald Chambers once said, "What we believe about God determines everything about us." How true that is.
It all comes down to what I am choosing to focus on. When I remember who God is, what He has done for me, and who I once was — a sinner desperately in need of grace — my perspective shifts. I realize that every day and every breath I am given is an undeserved gift.
Jesus told Martha that "one thing is necessary" (Luke 10:38–42). I find I need that reminder often.
When I allow the constantly changing circumstances of life—things over which I have little or no control—to determine my emotions and responses, life will almost always feel hard. But Jesus offers a better way, a way that leads to peace even when the waves are high.
When I fix my eyes on Him, remembering His goodness, His faithfulness, and His steadfast love, I find solid ground beneath my feet. As I build my life upon the Rock, I remain secure, even when the storms come (Matthew 7:24–27).
Over the past several months, God has gently been showing me something I desperately needed to learn: good and hard are not opposites. They often exist together.
People may cancel, and my day is still good because my God is with me. In His sovereign wisdom, He knew that cancelled appointment before I ever wrote it on my calendar.
Someone may forget to do what they promised — or I may fail to keep a promise myself — and yet I remain deeply loved by my Saviour, the Lover of my soul.
Someone I love dearly may die suddenly, and yet there is still hope.
Someone I care about may receive a dreaded diagnosis, and yet I know God will faithfully sustain them through every step of the journey.
For the past several months, I have been meditating on Daniel 11:32b: "The people who know their God will stand firm and take action." (ESV)
The word know means far more than simply knowing facts about God or affirming that He exists. It speaks of knowing Him through experience.
How do we come to know God this way? Through His written Word, where He reveals the beauty and depth of His character, and through walking with Him day after day.
When we know who our God is, we find a confidence and courage that can sustain us when life is hard — not because life becomes easy, but because we know the One who is good.
When our minds are fixed on Him, our courage does not come from everything going our way. It comes from the unchanging truth that our God is with us, and He never fails (Isaiah 43:1-7).
God, in His grace, is always patiently teaching me. Learning that "good" and "hard" can coexist has filled me with unexpected joy and hope.
No matter how hard life may seem today, I know the One who is good is still the One who is in control.
And one day, our Good Shepherd will return. He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5). Every tear will be wiped away. Every sorrow will end. Every wrong will be made right.
And He shall reign forever.

When out for my morning walk, I pass a section that is overgrown with Sumac bushes. They have become so overgrown that it is hard to use the sidewalk. Even the sidewalk plows have been forced onto the grass and have left big ruts making it even harder to walk. Then one morning I didn't realize that I was walking along the path unhindered until I sensed some deep shadow on my right side! I didn't think that I was sleepwalking but then it struck me! The Sumacs were cut back drastically from the sidewalk, and what was left was an eerie shadow! The city had finally done something!
As the fog cleared from my stupor something moved in what was now the cleared area next to the sidewalk. Amid all the detritus from the clearing of the brush, suddenly popped up a young rabbit! I couldn't see him because he was so well camouflaged by his coat amid the wood chips. If he had stayed still, I would have passed him and not have seen him. Actually, over the summer, I have seen him a few times and he has become used to seeing me.
Camouflage is a fascinating concept in the wild because it works both ways. Many animals have a defensive camouflage system that makes it difficult to spot them while at the same time many hunters also have the ability to blend in with their environment. John Vaillant in his excellent book “The Tiger,” chronicles the search for a true man-eating tiger in Siberian Russia. He describes in detail the habitat and behaviour of these animals and the people who share this inhospitable land. He recounts hunters saying that when you see a tiger, he has seen you a hundred times! An animal the size of a compact car can blend in with his surroundings.
In the life of the church, this principle of how to camouflage or better still spot the thing camouflaged is as old as the church itself. In fact, it even goes right back to the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were fooled by the serpent. However, from Paul's writings, as well as the other apostles, this has been an issue since the earliest days of the church. And no less so today with the proliferation of those who would seek to devour those who are unaware of their false teaching. In Galatians, Paul warns against “false brothers secretly brought in – who slipped in to spy out our freedom” Gal. 2:4 (ESV). Jude also warns “for certain people have crept in unnoticed ... who pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” Jude 4 (ESV). Then there is that classic passage where Paul exhorts “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” Eph. 6:11(ESV). I think that one of the most underrated passages is in Col 2 where Paul says, “see to it that no one takes you captive” and then he goes on to develop a theology of the Christian life that in a practical sense is a game plan on how to survive in a world constantly set on destroying you.
The hunters (spoiler alert!) finally track down and kill the tiger. It was a harrowing ordeal for the men who finally succeeded. This was an exceptional animal, but he had to  be stopped. I was amazed when I lived out west at how adaptable animals were in the bush. Moose, elk, deer, bear somehow disappeared. In the Christian world predators can likewise disappear and camouflage their presence among us if we are not careful and prepared with God's Word.

Our son and daughter-in-law live below us, as do their two sons, Kai and Silas. Now it’s no secret that “Papa” is Silas’s favourite “old person,” but along with that comes an awesome responsibility.   
   Almost every morning “the kids” come up for breakfast. Papa and Silas, who’s 28 months, will quite often have a bowl of cereal together. We like it mixed: some Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, and Cheerios with milk and honey. I’ll pick up my spoon and Silas does too. I’ll have a spoonful of cereal and so will he. I’ll lay down my spoon and he does too. I’ll pick up my bowl to have a sip of milk and so does Silas; sometimes we do a “cheers.” I’ll have a drink of coffee and he’ll have a drink of juice. Sometimes I share my coffee with him. His mom doesn’t like that.  
   Silas isn’t listening to my words. He’s watching my spoon.   
One morning during our breakfast routine I was reminded of 1 Cor 11:1 “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.” (ESV) Paul makes two statements here, and you can’t separate them, you can't use one without the other. First, “Imitate me” or follow my example. Bold  words. Paul was a Roman citizen, trained under Gamaliel, fluent in Jewish law and Scripture. If anyone had earthly credentials to say “look at me,” it was him. But then he  adds the qualifier: “as I imitate Christ.” That’s the key. Paul’s basically saying, “Copy me only as far as I’m copying Him.” All his degrees and his citizenship? He counted it as loss compared to knowing Christ. He wasn’t the destination — just a signpost pointing to Jesus.   
   One of the principal responsibilities of being a Christian is to raise up godly leaders for the next generation. But leadership doesn’t start at the pulpit. It starts at the breakfast table, with who’s copying you. That awesome responsibility isn’t burdensome. It’s just paying attention. Because like father, like son. Like Papa, like Silas. One day he’ll be leading someone too.   
   So folks, here are some questions that we need to consider: Who’s watching your spoon? Is your spoon worth watching? And are you pointing them toward Christ? Paul’s greatest desire, with all of his education and influence, was for people to see Christ in him and to encourage them to follow his example. Can we say the same to our children, family, friends, and colleagues?   
   What’s in your bowl? What’s on your spoon? Are we living lives that reflect Jesus? I’ll admit that some of my greatest convictions came from my family or co-workers. When I said or did something that was not becoming of the Christian walk, they knew. Sometimes it was just a look or a “Hmm, you call yourself a Christian.” Likewise, some of my greatest times of growth were when I confessed it before God and apologized to that individual for my behavior.   
   God, help us to be a people who are not ashamed of the gospel. Help us to live a life  pleasing to You and to have a desire for others to see Christ in us.