While walking along the Atlantic Ocean, I spot an auburn-haired beauty bending, kneeling, spreading her hand on the sand. Is she simply imprinting her palm? Or is she holding the hand of God?

Maybe she’s doing both. Because the God who can bind the chains of the Pleiades and loosen Orion’s belt (Job 38:31) knows exactly the number of sand grains on his earth. So, might God know every fiber of our being? The depth and breadth of our feelings? Does he not care for his created like a mother with her newborn child?

And yet, this great and good God who keeps creating also allows crushing.

I walk the beach and hear the crunch of fragile shells, still whole but emptied of life. I am crushing and creating a bit of sand right where I stand. And God knows the name and number of shells—the left-handed lightning whelk, the banded tulip, the bleached-white sand dollar. He values each one in all their striking variety.

So why would God allow my feet to crush his masterful artwork? Truth is, there are a lot of “why” questions we can’t answer. But I can tell you that God allows my life’s expectations to be crushed for good reason.

God knows us intimately and cares for us profoundly, never desiring that we settle for less than his best.

But oh, how the crushing hurts!

I remember my desperation during pressing pain. Sometimes, all I could do is press into Jesus, casting all my cares on him, knowing that he who allows the crushing is, in those very moments, caring tenderly for me while creating a vast space of beauty and freedom within my human heart, mind, and soul. Kind of like a beautiful beach.

Today, I’m still standing, testifying that all the testings—all the heartbreaks—have worked together for good. Never pleasant at the time. But always good in the end. Here’s just three of God’s great blessings born from suffering in my own life:

I wouldn’t have three grown kids, once Russian orphans, had I not been crushed with infertility.

I wouldn’t have the incredible friends I have today had my heart not been crushed by “miserable comforters” who blamed my suffering on my sin (Job 16:2 ESV).

Best of all, I wouldn’t have the trust I have in God had he not allowed all the crushing in my life, proving himself loving, faithful, and provisional. Every. Single. Time.

In short, I wouldn’t know God’s like I know him now had I not been crushed.

Maybe that’s the way our souls grow best?

I’m in the midst of some crushing right now. Knowing how God has brought me through the past and made me stronger helps me endure the current and the future, come what may. God will never leave me or forsake me (Deuteronomy 31:6). Same with you.

If God knows the exact number of broken shells and every sand grain, if he creates beauty from our crushing such that we, the crown of his creation, spontaneously kneel in wonder and touch the beauty of the crushed with our own hands, how can that same God not know us intimately, care for us tenderly, and create something miraculously beautiful out of all our crushing?

Maybe you’re in the midst of being crushed, feeling crushed? Might I offer a tender sliver of encouragement and hope here in this tiny space where your heart and mine connect for a moment?

God’s got your heart in his tender hands, friend. What’s happening isn’t forever. God promises to bring something great after you’ve suffered a little while. This I know—Our great God will give you and me strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

So, hold on, bend low, reach out, and place your palm on the ground before you. The same God who loves his creation loves the crown of his creation even more. That’s you, friend. That’s me.

Shall we walk a ways down the beach together and remember the love of our great God as our bare feet feel the warm, soft sand underneath, crushed into glory?

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  1 Peter 5:10 ESV

Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. 1 Peter 5:7 AMP

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37 NIV

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.  Psalm 34:18 NIV

For once-a-week fresh hope and encouragement (and some great-giveaways monthly!), please subscribe to the blog so you never miss a post. Tap the envelope button in the navigation bar at the top to slip in your email address. I promise never to share your email.