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Job’s main complaint against God is not His control, or His care—His main complaint is if God is truly aware of what Job is going through. When Job realizes what God knows is when he truly sees God.

If God is in control, then why so much hurt? Why so much suffering? Why so much pain?

Is God really with us, or is that just something we tell ourselves to feel better when our world seems out of control?

Jesus has repurposed death into a victorious rally cry that will echo throughout eternity. The curse of sin has no claim over us, as the cross of Christ has paid the price. Through Jesus, everything sad is coming untrue.

Romans 8:28 says that we know that in all things God works for good. As the world around us seems to be stopping, and as the curse seems more real than ever, we can trust with great confidence that, even still, God never stops working.

God’s words and actions have always moved in the trajectory of life. So, when sin was introduced into the world, death was invited into the story. Reversing the curse of death begins by using the shortness of this life to leave a legacy beyond it.

God created us to cultivate fruit everywhere we go in a way that glorifies Him. The thorns and thistles of this world cut away at our purpose. Reversing the curse in our work begins by embracing a God who turns mundane work into meaningful ministry.

In the curse, conflict and confusion between men and women became much more common than companionship and community. Reversing the curse between men and women begins by looking to the example of Jesus as man as God fully intended man to be.

From the beginning, God has been looking for those whom He loves. Reversing the curse of shame begins by surrendering our futile attempts to cover our shame and stepping into God’s life-giving Spirit of freedom.

In the “better and worse” of marriage, Jesus’ example is what teaches us how to increase our commitment when comfort is nowhere to be found. By God’s power, vows aren’t just heartfelt exchanges for a day, but instead become holy commitments for life.

When relationships shift from “me” to “we,” God’s power is best displayed. When relationships shift from “me” to “we,” the mission grows stronger. When relationships move from “me” to “we,” God’s grace is echoed into this world.

We are given the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Imagine if we began to look at the environments and resources around us as opportunities to let God do a work that only He can.

Jesus used meals to engage with people and teach important lessons. Each meal carried a deeper meaning simply by who sat around the table. In the Kingdom of God, tables become places of testimony and meals can become agents of a greater message.

We can never know how fully God can use one conversation to bring someone to greater understanding of Him. We want to be people who press deeper into the heart of the person in front of us for the sake of helping others experience this true life.

In God’s economy, the most generous are the ones who truly recognize and respond in faith to the One who owns it all to begin with. Imagine what would happen if we looked at each dollar as a name and gave it over with great faith.

One decision has the power to transform someone’s life forever. What might the world look like if we chose to look at every decision as one that either brings someone closer to Jesus or pushes them away from Him?

We often assume impact is instant, but more often it comes from the small daily decisions we make where we get about the Father’s business. We begin to experience true and lasting fruit in our lives when we take life one day at a time.

Culture’s current interpretation of Christmas centers on receiving what we feel will satisfy us. Like the Magi, we as believers instead choose to intentionally come to Jesus—regardless of the cost—to worship the only one who can satisfy our souls.

Mary’s willingness to embrace the unexpected—the birth of Jesus—reveals how God interrupts our plans to save us from a path that otherwise would destroy us. Because of this truth, we can welcome the unexpected in trust of something better.

There is something powerful about what we say to ourselves. Just as the writer of Lamentations, in the midst of profound loss, reminds himself that God is his portion, so must we remember that in God we have everything we need to be thankful.