Haven’t we all looked at our lives at times and thought, “Can anything be made of this mess?” On the outside, at least, life at times looks bleak and chaotic. It often looked that way to people in the Bible.

Every Christian has experienced times when trials seem overwhelming. We naturally wonder: Where is God? Is God letting us down? Does He care? If God is good, then why is He allowing evil to triumph?

Need a reason to smile? Pay careful attention to the joys of your everyday life and be transformed by your loving, gracious, wonderful, perfectly outrageous God.

In times of great stress we need a solid foundation to fall back upon. It is in those moments of panic and fear our training kicks in and we realize even though we feel lost and alone, it's not truth. God is with us.

This year, it’s this careful balance of guilt and relief I’m pondering. I’m contemplating the injustice of being saved from my sin without deserving it in the slightest.