A Life of Gratitude

I've spent a lot of time lately contemplating the many people I know that are dealing with very difficult situations. Whether its financial concerns, marital problems, illness, rejection, loss of a loved one, or another uncertainity of life, it feels like everyone is hurting or dealing with something extremely hard.  I was praying for some specific friends this morning when it occurred to me, maybe hardships are actually a gift that allow us to discover who God really is and how He really feels about us.  We would never know God as our Healer if we never needed healing. We would never know Him as our Comforter, if we never needed to be comforted. We would never know Him as our Sustainer, if we never felt like we felt like we were falling apart. We would never know Him as our Provider, if we were never in need of anything. We would never know Him as our Strength, if we were never burdened and weak. We would never know Him as our Father, if we never needed Him to take care of us.  We