Ever since restrictions got tighter in Hong Kong amidst the fifth wave, I’ve found that I had to slightly adjust how I spend my spare time. Sometimes that change feels a bit like a downgrade, but I’m thankful to say that there’s been lots of positives too! With gyms being closed, I’ve been forced to discover the joys of outdoor climbing (which I now adore).

You see, I’ve always preferred climbing in gyms rather than outside because… well I’m kind of dainty and finicky. I like having easy access to a proper toilet and shower. I enjoy working out in an air-conditioned environment with music in the background and comfy climbing holds that won’t cut my hands and make them bleed.

I enjoyed the comfort of not being challenged, but what if that meant that I ended up missing out on a greater joy?

This may not necessarily be the perfect analogy, but I wonder if this can also be the case for Christians when it comes to our spiritual life. Recently, with all that’s happening in our city and around the world, I’ve been feeling a bit restless and frustrated. I’ve had to wrestle how a sovereign and loving God can allow so many things to happen that I (in my limited human understanding) just simply can’t comprehend can be good.

However, as I throw myself in prayer and spend time in God’s word to remind myself of his character and wisdom in all things, I’m humbly comforted by being put in my place. When I have doubts and question God like that, I’m basically saying, “I know better than you, God!” Which I obviously don’t. I’m forgetting of how faithful he’s always been in the past, all the blessings he’s still currently showering me with in the present, and how he will continue to be loving and faithful in the future forevermore. I know this with certainty because he is constant and unchanging. He promises ultimate good to his people as he perfectly defines it, and it is impossible for God to go back on his word.

I can trust God to be working even in painful circumstances for his glory and for the good of his people – for their greatest joy in a season of refinement.

What are you wrestling with right now in your heart?

Don’t waste this opportunity to be challenged out of complacency in order to chase a deeper and more meaningful joy that can only be found in trusting in our loving Lord Jesus Christ. Enjoy a closer relationship in him as your ultimate security in an impossibly uncertain world.