Have you ever stopped to list the good things in your life? Sometimes we get so caught up with the bad things that are happening to us that we fail to see the other side. As the old hymn says, “Count your many blessings; name them one by one—and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

Don’t misunderstand me, however; your problems are real, and I know that at times it seems like God has forgotten you or hidden His face from you. Even some of the Bible’s greatest men and women felt that way on occasion. In the midst of his pain and loss, Job cried out, “Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me?” (Job 10:8).

But in time Job realized that God still loved him, and even if he didn’t understand why he was experiencing so much suffering and heartache, God still could be trusted. The turning point came when Job looked beyond his problems and focused instead on God and His greatness and love. Then he could say, “I know that my Redeemer lives” (Job 19:25).

This is why I urge you to turn to Christ and ask Him to come into your life. God loves you—and the proof is that His only Son was willing to endure the pain and death of the cross for you. Open your heart to Him, and then ask Him to give you the wisdom to change what you can, and the courage to endure what you can’t.