“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” -Hebrews 12:11

Let me tell you something we all know but don’t always like to admit — growth is uncomfortable.

Nobody enjoys correction. Nobody wakes up and says, “Lord, please stretch me today.” When God allows pressure, pruning, or discipline in our lives, it doesn’t feel good. It feels grievous. It feels heavy. It feels unfair at times.

But Hebrews reminds us to look at the afterward.

After the hard conversation.

After the conviction.

After the pruning season.

After the tears.

There is fruit.

God never disciplines to harm you. He disciplines to help you. A loving Father corrects because He sees what you can become. The coach pushes because he sees potential. The gardener prunes because he sees fruit coming.

If you’re in a stretching season right now, don’t quit. Don’t grow bitter. Let it exercise you. Let it shape you. Let it refine you.

Because afterward — not during, but afterward — there is peace. There is righteousness. There is strength you didn’t have before.

What feels heavy today may be producing harvest tomorrow.

Stay faithful. God is working in you, not against you.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” -2 Timothy 4:7

There’s something steady and strong about those words. They don’t sound rushed. They don’t sound panicked. They sound like a man looking back over his shoulder with peace in his heart.

The apostle Paul wasn’t sitting in comfort when he wrote that. He was in a prison cell. Chains on his wrists. Uncertain days ahead. But his spirit was unchained. Why? Because he knew he had given his life to something that mattered.

“I have fought a good fight.”

Friend, the Christian life is not a playground—it’s a battleground. There are days you’ll have to fight discouragement. Fight doubt. Fight temptation. But it’s a good fight when you’re standing for the right things.

“I have finished my course.”

God has marked out a lane just for you. You don’t have to run my race, and I don’t have to run yours. Just stay in your lane. Keep putting one faithful step in front of the other. Slow and steady still wins when you refuse to quit.

“I have kept the faith.”

That’s the goal. Not fame. Not applause. Not comfort. Faithfulness.

One day, when the dust settles and the race is done, may it be said of us—not that we were perfect—but that we were faithful.

So keep fighting.

Keep running.

Keep believing.

The finish line is worth it.

“For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” -Habakkuk 2:14

Let me encourage you with this today.

Habakkuk looked around and didn’t see glory. He saw corruption. Violence. Pride. It felt like evil was loud and righteousness was quiet. Sound familiar?

But right in the middle of confusion, God gave him a promise.

“The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

Not partially filled.

Not occasionally sprinkled.

Filled.

As the waters cover the sea. Think about that. You can’t separate water from the sea. It saturates every inch. God said one day His glory will saturate this earth the same way.

That means darkness does not get the final word.

Sin does not get the final word.

Bad headlines do not get the final word.

God’s glory does.

And here’s the part that blesses me: we get to live as previews of that coming glory. Every time you forgive, you reveal His glory. Every time you choose integrity, you reveal His glory. Every time you love someone who is hard to love, you reflect His glory.

The world may look chaotic, but the promise still stands.

The earth will be filled.

So lift your head today. Stay faithful. Keep shining. What God promised, He will perform. And one day, what we believe by faith now will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea.