The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.”

—Romans 8:22–23 

For those who struggle through this life—which includes everyone from time to time—this verse is a huge comfort. We groan, and creation groans. 

This world, broken by sin as it is, will never fully satisfy us. Some have it easier than others, some have seasons of rest between battles, and some seem to have only strife and pain, but nothing in the Bible makes it seem like this life will be perfect, easy, or totally satisfying.

If we’re going through hard things, we’re in good company. Jesus, Joseph, Esther, the disciples, Ruth, Paul, Job, and countless others all struggled too. 

It doesn’t necessarily mean we’re in the wrong place; it means we live in this broken world. 

Sometimes the brokenness seems too heavy for us to bear, but there is always hope. 

This passage continues, speaking of our adoption and the redemption of our bodies: “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:24–25).

The hope we await will never be fully realized in this life. God is guiding us through the difficulty now, and every moment brings us closer to our glorious eternal hope.

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