After You Have Suffered a Little While

Hi, friend in Christ!

Over the past eleven months, Jesus has abundantly blessed me. My friends and family are loving and supportive. My job is meaningful, and I am thankful for the daily bread Jesus graciously provides. However, given all my blessings, my heart has been weary over these past months. You might wonder, how can I experience God’s abundant blessings while still carrying a heavy heart?

While these past months have been good to me, some of my neighbors have not fared as well. I do not personally know these neighbors, but I have wept with them as new reports of the government withholding their food subsidies. I cried with children watching their parents’ deportation.

The nonstop, senseless violence, constant bickering, and family infighting shown on the evening news upset my spirit. Even more, I cried over what seemed to be indifference from my Christian brothers and sisters.

I lamented the pain and suffering of others, and I shouted to no one in particular, “Why aren’t church leaders saying something?” I expected to hear not only an outcry from the church but also a strong condemnation of the suffering and violence occurring. 

Why had I let the world news upset me? And, there was the keyword, world. Then, my father’s words echoed like never before: “The world has always been wicked.” And, of course, 1 John 5:19 reveals, “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” Fully aware that the world is cruel and wicked, I still experienced moments of sadness and despair. It was during those dark days that Jesus ministered to me.

On the morning of September 14, 2025, Jesus placed 1 Peter 5:8 on my heart. The verse reads, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The light of Jesus shone through, turning what would have been another dark and depressing morning into light and joy. Reading Peter, I understood how the devil tried to trick me into focusing on the world’s sins instead of God’s grace.

That morning, I sat in my car before driving to work and recorded myself reading 1 Peter 5:8, then posted it to my YouTube channel. The verse was the balm I needed to make sense of the disillusionment I held.

I am a faithful woman of God. I stay active in women’s ministry, read and study commentaries, but I must admit I have started consuming too much of the world. 1 Peter 5:8 reminded me to always seek answers in the Word of God, not in the opinions of podcasts, journalists, or even some pastors.

With a renewed spirit, I kept reading 1 Peter 5. Then, the words in verse 10 filled my heart with such joy I could hardly contain it. The verse says, “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

God is in the midst!

Excited, I reflected on the trials and tribulations I endured and remembered how God was with me during my storms of life. Just as He was with me, Jesus is with my neighbors, and that comforted me. I wear my heart on my sleeve and carry the pain of others in my heart. There is no doubt that the enemy tried to use my sensitivity against me. But God was in the midst and pulled me out of what could have become darkness.

Although sinful actions will continue against my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, I celebrate with a renewed spirit because I know that God is in their midst. He is with parents struggling with food insecurities and families separated by deportation. Jesus comforts bereaved individuals who have lost loved ones due to senseless violence. God is with estranged family members. God is in the midst!

Romans 5:3-5 is a reminder that suffering is not in vain. It reads, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

If you have also felt moments of despair over the state of our world, I encourage you to seek comfort in God’s Word and to join me in 2026, as I vow to limit my news consumption.

May God keep you and bless you,

Tika