We can believe good things are around the corner.

I used to think life would never get better. I know that sounds pretty darn mopey, but it’s true. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s struggled with this thought process.

This past year, I went through one of the hardest times in my life. One bad thing after another kept hitting me like a brick, and it was all out of my control. It got to a point where I was paranoid of bad things happening in my life, thinking of daily worst-case scenarios.

All this led me to subconsciously believe that life sucked, and that was life, and we all needed to deal with it.

It’s easy to be cynical about life when bad things happen.

I heard cynical messages, even from the Christian world, that God never promises that things will be easy. And that sometimes he wants us to take a path that is best for Him, even if it’s not what you want to do. And lastly, that storms will happen in life, and we will never stop struggling on this side of eternity.

I won’t point on the accuracy of these messages, but I know that too many of these messages can lead to a cynical outlook on life. And cynicism is the last thing that God wants for us.

Lately, I’ve noticed the cynicism in my heart that I thought was just plain-old normal. I’ve learned to grasp something that I’ve never grasped before.

It’s the concept that God is actually good.

Life is hard. God is good.

The Google definition of good is “showing kindness”. Synonyms for this word include kind, generous, good-hearted, gracious, selfless.

And I’ll be honest, I did not associate God with these synonyms after I went through my shit-storm. I took my anger out on God, thinking that he had technically let all these bad things happen to me, so he didn’t particularly care about me.

But no. God’s been showing me that this thought-process is plain old wrong.

Believe it or not, He actually doesn’t want to see you suffer. Anyone who is in this definition of good does not enjoy watching someone they love struggle.

Though life can get rocky, He is never rocky. No matter what brick was thrown at us, God wants to put us on a stable foundation, and he wants to bless us with good things. He does not want our struggle to be the end of our story.

“The godly ones will have a peaceful, prosperous future with a happy ending.”

Psalm 37:37 TPT

Why we need to believe in good.

I was reading the Bible the other day when I came across a really cool story of people doubting God, like I do way too often.

In the story, one of Jesus’s friends, named Lazarus, is really sick. He’s on the verge of dying. Lazarus’s sister tells Jesus and asks him to help Lazarus. For some reason, Jesus takes his sweet time in helping the guy out, and so Lazarus ends up dying.

The sister thought Jesus would save her brother, so she’s super confused about his death. She says, “Jesus, if you would have been here, this would not have happened.” Little does she know that He’s about to perform a miracle.

He always shows up when we don’t feel like He’s going to show up.

Jesus brings his friend, Lazarus, back from the dead, like a true G. But before he does, he says these words: “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11: 40 MSG).

See, the girl here did not believe that Jesus could show up and do good things for her. She doubted his power and goodness, like I do way too often. But Jesus tells us here that when we believe in His power, we get His power.

Believe it or not, God actually wants to bless us with good things. He wants to perform miracles in our lives, and he wants to show us how powerful he is. All because of his love for us.

The same Jesus that raised a guy from the friggin dead wants to perform that kind of miracle for you. He is here with you right now, right this very second, and wants the best for you.

We have power on our side.

 Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20

Jesus has some serious power, and he is with us and in us. We shouldn’t be surprised when a miracle comes our way, or incredible things happen to us. It all comes from his delight in blessing us.

I don’t want to believe anymore that God wants to see me suffer. No, I want to believe that he actually loves me. And if he loves me, he wants to give me good things, and he wants to bless me with a wonderful life. Sure, I’ll struggle, but I want to believe that God is ultimately for me and is working for my good.

We need to believe that God actually has good things planned for us, and that we do have a prosperous future. What wonderful blessings are around the corner of that belief.