Have you ever noticed that life does not turn out the way it is supposed to?  Sometimes life has more twists and turns than a pretzel.  And you just wish someone would take a big bight out of it and be done with it.  

It's those dark times, those difficult times, that show what we are made of.  Those times when Heaven's silence is deafening.  Those times when nothing makes sense and there is no where to go.  And finally, finally, we come running back to God.  Only to discover that He has been there all the time.  It is He Who has been carrying us through the rough places.  

We come to know Him better.  We come to trust Him more fully.  We come to see glimpses of His greatness in the midst of the blackest darkness.  And we are changed.

We come through the other side and listen to ourselves relating how we would not have wished that experience on to our worst enemy, but how we would not change any part of it for the world.  It was there that we saw facets of God we never knew existed.  

Been thinking a lot about that these last couple of days.  We've had more times of darkness and confusion and pain and suffering (emotional and physical) than you could shake a stick at.  And every one of them have become treasured high points in our journey towards Heaven and home.  

We want to know Him in the fellowship of His suffering.  Bring it on!  We have more growing to do.  We're not ready yet to stand in the brilliance of His Glory.