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Category: Tough Times

Where faith meets trials.

Life, Tough Times

Gleaning Growth From Struggle

September 26, 2025 Megan Bean

In life as in school, we grow when we handle challenges well. Here are nine insights for making the most of your own struggles.

Tagged discipleship, faith, focus, growth, humanity, humility, Just Megan, perspective, transformationLeave a comment
God, Tough Times

When God Says No

February 26, 2025 Megan Bean

"No" is a small word that has a way of filling our vision until we can see nothing else. But when we study the Bible, we find that โ€œnoโ€ is rarely the end of the story.

Tagged prayer, trust2 Comments
Shadowy mountains brood under a dim sky.
Disability & Rare Disease, Holidays & Seasons, Tough Times

When Waiting Seems Unbearable

December 19, 2024 Megan Bean

We must wait, or give up on what we're waiting for. But how do we keep waiting when waiting seems hopeless?

Tagged Advent, book, discipleship, doubt, faith, focus, hope, Just Megan, perseverence, perspective, prayer, publishing journey, trust, uncertainty, waiting3 Comments
Gauze, tape, and a bandage lie on a wooden table.
Relationships, Tough Times

When Your Brother or Sister Hurts

November 8, 2024November 9, 2024 Megan Bean

When one church member suffers, the whole church suffers. Here, weโ€™ll look at ways to respond when you know or suspect a brother or sister in Christ is hurting.

Tagged Church, discipleship, grace, love, mercy, peace, reconciliation2 Comments
A planner lies open on a granite countertop. The month shown is February 2023.
God, Tough Times

When God’s Timing Seems Terrible

January 27, 2023February 1, 2023 Megan Bean

In the face of loss, where and how can we find the providence of a loving, sovereign God?

Tagged blessing, doubt, faith, grace, gratitude, loss, obedience, perspective, prayer, trust, worry4 Comments
A clock with a decorative wooden frame hangs on a wall. It reads 8:07. Natural light shines on it from the left, but the room also seems to be lit with soft artificial light.
Tough Times

Preparing for the Hard Times

September 16, 2022September 26, 2024 Megan Bean

Nothing can guarantee we'll make it through hardship without scars, slip-ups, or shaky moments. But there are things we can do to maximize our chances of suffering in a way that honors God and makes us more like Jesus. And a lot of that work begins long before the trial does.

Tagged Bible, discipleship, faith, growth, interruptions, obedience, perspective, prayer, worship1 Comment
A single set of footprints cross the damp sand of a beach, parallel to the line of the water. The sand is strewn with seashells and sticks. To the left, gray-blue seawater is rippling onto the beach.
Life, Relationships, Tough Times

When Obedience Comes First

May 20, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

Sometimes action has to precede emotion. Sometimes we have to trust the power of obedience to shape us, instead of trying to get ourselves in shape to obey.

Tagged discipleship, faith, forgiveness, joy, love, obedience, service, transformation, trust, worship4 Comments
The fallen, pale pink blossoms of a Japanese Flowering Cherry tree litter the sun-dappled ground under the tree.
God, Holidays & Seasons, Tough Times

When Good Things End

April 28, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

Trusting Godโ€™s purposes is hard enough when bad things invade our lives. But what about when good things leave? When instead of facing an enemy, we face simply...emptiness?

Tagged blessing, creation, doubt, flowers, hope, interruptions, loss, spring, uncertainty1 Comment
A furry gray donkey with a white nose and belly and a dark stripe down its shoulder stands in a snowy pasture. It turns its head toward the camera and pricks its ears. The pasture in which it stands is long and narrow, with wire mesh fences, and slopes downhill toward a forest. The forest consists of pine and bare deciduous trees. Through their branches the sky shows a bright cloudless blue. Some trees off-screen to the right streak the snow with shadows.
Donkey Devos, God, Holidays & Seasons, Tough Times

Finding God When Things Look Bleak

January 25, 2022September 27, 2024 Megan Bean

We may not always be sure what to make of what God sends us. But we can always trust and know the One who sends it.

Tagged animals, donkeys, doubt, faith, fear, growth, interruptions, obedience, perspective, trust, uncertainty, unexpected5 Comments
A large-print Bible sits on a wooden table with a cloth runner. The Bible is open to Psalms 22-24 (CSB). On top of it sit a pencil and greeting card. The card's cover displays simple, colorful drawings of flowers.
Relationships, Tough Times

Sharing Faith

November 24, 2021September 26, 2024 Megan Bean

God is our ultimate Source of faith. But often He provides it through other people.

Tagged Bible, Church, discipleship, doubt, faith, friendship, grace, prayer3 Comments

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