We lived in the most glorious, sunny, mountainous and palm-treed locations both times that we lived abroad. Aix-en-Provence, France and Casablanca, Morocco are two dreamy places to have once been called \u201chome\u201d.<\/p>\n

While living abroad, we met people from all over the states, as well as from around the world. Then we all moved on and returned to our \u201chomeland\u201d which means we now have friends scattered around the globe.<\/p>\n

Visiting some of our friends in Southern California for the first time changed everything for me and my \u201cBest Places In the World to Live\u201d list. To be honest, my first thought when I encountered the beauty of southern California was not that I wished to live there, but one of feeling sorry for my Californian friends.<\/p>\n

Let me explain:
To me, the south of France and Morocco were these magical, breathtakingly beautiful holy sites where God revealed Himself to me. I cried the first time I saw the French Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the palm-tree lined streets of Casablanca, and the Sahara Desert (to be fair, I do cry a lot\u2026) Every time I encountered new beauty my Michigan-eyes had never known, I was left speechless, breathless, and entered a holy state of worship for a God who could (and would) create such beauty. My Michigan-eyes had beheld a LOT of glorious things in our mitten state, but just nothing like mountains, ocean, desert, palm trees, oh \u2013 and that elusive SUNSHINE!!! (Today, on April 11, it snowed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Need I say more???)<\/p>\n

So when on my inaugural trip to California I discovered identical beauty \u2013 mountains, ocean, desert, palm trees, sunshine (which can all be seen AT THE SAME TIME, for heavens sake!) \u2013 I realized that there was NO WAY my Californian friends could have felt the same depth, love, and appreciation that I did while we all lived in France and Morocco. There is no way that they woke up every day and said, \u201cLord have mercy! Another sunny day!\u201d (as I did). There is no way they took endless pictures of palm trees (as I did). There is no way they walked the beaches every day and said, \u201cGod in heaven, help me to carry this moment with me forever \u2013 even into the polar vortex that is bound to hit in the middle of my future Michigan winters\u201d (as I did).<\/p>\n

I was CAPTIVATED by the weather and the landscape of those two countries \u2013 but only because I come from a backdrop of cold, snowy, and relatively flat Michigan. My California friends who also lived in France and Morocco with us must have greeted each new day with \u201cJust another day in paradise.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that difference in our two experiences is such a CRUCIAL thing for us to remember when life gets hard, ugly, disappointing or blizzard-y.<\/p>\n

A light shines brighter against a backdrop of darkness.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
Comfort is only as comfortable to the degree of discomfort it relieves.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
Joy is only as joyful as the sorrow from which it rescues.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
Pain relief is only helpful to the degree of suffering it relieves.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>
God is only as good as to the depth of which we recognize our sin and need of a Savior.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

When we meet people who (seem) to come from a very \u201ccharmed\u201d life \u2013 who basically seem to escape all suffering in this life (they are smart, rich, thin, never struggled with teenage acne, their kids all make good choices, no cancer, disease, or disorders, no bad hair days, and their dog never poops on the living room rug\u2026 Kind of like the sun is always shining in their lives. You know the type\u2026) well, it is tempting for us to wish we were them. It seems like THAT would be the life we all want and should strive (pray) for.<\/p>\n

But I wonder\u2026. I wonder if we\u2019d be missing out on some very important things God wants to show us if our lives were void of the pain, the messy, the heartache (the snow?) I wonder if there are actually parts of GOD we would not know if we never knew pain, suffering, hurt and loss.<\/p>\n

Why are we given so many different names for God if we\u2019d never need them? If we all pursued and achieved the \u201ccharmed\u201d life without any pain and suffering, certainly there are attributes of God we would never know.
\u00a0
How can we know God as our DELIVERER if we\u2019re never in a horrible place from which we need delivering?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know God as our COMFORTER if we\u2019ve never been uncomfortable?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know God as our HEALER and GREAT PHYSICIAN if we\u2019ve never known illness or disease or suffered emotional\/spiritual brokenness?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know God as our PROVIDER if we\u2019ve never ached for provision?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know our God, the PRINCE OF PEACE if we\u2019ve spent our whole lives avoiding conflict, running from adversity, never challenged?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know our God, the SANCTUARY, if we\u2019ve never been in a place of needing protection?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know God as a REFUGE FROM THE STORM if our lives are always \u201csunny\u201d?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know God as the BREATH OF LIFE if we never recognize our desperate need for Him in ALL things?<\/span><\/strong>
How can we know God as our SHEPHERD if we never see ourselves as lowly sheep?<\/span><\/strong>
\u00a0
I\u2019m not in any way suggesting we shouldn\u2019t live in California! Nor am I saying God gives suffering \u2013 I believe HE IS PERFECT and would never author pain, loss, and suffering. But I do believe, with all my heart, that through the suffering we discover a God we hadn\u2019t previously known \u2013 and we come to experience Him and love Him more fully, deeper and truer.<\/p>\n

And, after all, isn\u2019t that what He wants most from us???<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We lived in the most glorious, sunny, mountainous and palm-treed locations both times that we lived abroad. Aix-en-Provence, France and Casablanca, Morocco are two dreamy places to have once been called \u201chome\u201d. While living abroad, we met people from all over the states, as well as from around the world. Then we all moved on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,22,24,25,33,36,1],"tags":[49,83,91,93],"yoast_head":"\n