This is from a devotion by Rich Froning I am going through on the YouVersion app.
Growing Your Relationship with God
There is no growth in life without facing adversity. When our biggest hopes and dreams don’t go as planned, there is an opportunity to get to the next level in our relationship with God if we choose to lean in. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that many times we aren’t praying the right prayers or asking the right questions. God’s ultimate outcome is one that will grow our relationship with him, strengthen our connections to our loved ones, and will ultimately serve his purpose through our lives.
It builds my confidence when I remember Romans 5:8, says that right from the start, when all we did was fail, God had already demonstrated his love and willingness to build a relationship with us. If this is true, think of how much better things can be when we intentionally grow his will for our lives. Proverbs 16:3 asserts that if we remain committed to our relationship to God and keep connected to all we are trying to accomplish, we will see his influence in our plans.
The overwhelming struggle both my wife and I faced in becoming parents has since been replaced with an overflow of unconditional love. Becoming a father has given me a perspective I didn’t have before my children. I love my kids with all that I am, and that love isn’t even close to perfect. Compare that to God’s perfect love for my family and I. The result is emotionally overwhelming. For my wife and I, the hardest times resulted in more joy, fullness, and fulfillment than we ever thought possible. 1 John 5:1-5 talks about the kind of victory we can experience if we just hang in there, never lose faith or refuse to let go of our relationship with God.
Barnabas Man 