2434) There are days when things happen that changed the trajectory of my life.

Some were good. Meeting the man who later became my husband. A spur-of-the-moment stop to introduce myself to someone, and they became my close friend.

Some were horrible. A difficult conversation. The death of a pet.

I think of these days when I read Psalm 118:24. This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (KJV) I recite this verse each morning as I climb out of bed.

It’s easy to rejoice when good things happen, but rejoicing when the bad ones do is an entirely different thing.

In fact, some of these bad, life-changing days are so bad, I can’t even discuss them with God in the moment. But when the dust settles a little, I need to thank God, by faith, for the good he’s going to bring through this horrible situation.

Sometimes this thanking is done without rejoicing in my heart. I can only utter words of rejoicing with my teeth clinched. At other times I’m silent and ask God to hear the groaning of his Spirit on my behalf. (Romans 8:26)

Faith is possible because it cost Jesus his life. Faith costs me because it can seem like a betrayal of my misery; to state that I have faith when I am dying on the inside.

Faith is a beautiful thing. It’s because it is costly.