Welcome Back!

Hey friend! Welcome back to Thrive Through the Fire. If life has ever thrown you into the deep end without a floatie, you’re in the right place.

Today’s episode? It might sting a little—because we’re talking about something none of us really want to hear:

God is more concerned with your character than your comfort.

I know, I know. Wouldn’t it be nice if life was just cozy blankets, smooth roads, and never having to wear pants with buttons? But that’s not how God works.

In this episode, we’re diving into:

Why God allows struggles and hardships.

Biblical examples of people who went through chaos—but came out refined.

My own experience with suffering (yes, I questioned God too!).

How to hold onto faith when life is physically, emotionally, or spiritually uncomfortable.

Actionable steps to trust God in the fire.

So if you’ve ever been frustrated with God, or wanted to quit when things got hard—this episode is for you.

No one signs up for pain. No one’s out here saying, “Lord, please, I’d love a season of suffering. Just go ahead and wreck my life.”

But here’s what I’ve learned—God isn’t in the business of making us comfortable. He’s in the business of making us holy.

James 1:2-4 says:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Did you catch that? Not “if” but “when.” Hard times aren’t an accident—they’re an assignment.

1. Joseph – From Favorite Son to Prisoner to Ruler (Genesis 37-50)

Joseph was his dad’s favorite, had big dreams, and a fancy coat. And what happened?

His own brothers threw him in a pit and sold him into slavery.

He ended up in prison for years—for a crime he didn’t commit.

If anyone had the right to ask “God, what are You doing?!”—it was Joseph.

But God wasn’t done. Joseph became second-in-command in Egypt and saved his family from famine. He later told his brothers:

Genesis 50:20 – "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."

God wasn’t punishing Joseph—He was positioning him.

2. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – The Ultimate Fire Walkers (Daniel 3)

These three guys refused to worship a king’s golden statue—and were thrown into a literal fire.

But when King Nebuchadnezzar looked inside, he saw four people in the fire. Not three.

Jesus was with them.

Daniel 3:25 – "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!"

God didn’t keep them out of the fire, but He walked through it with them. And when they came out? They didn’t even smell like smoke.

When I was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at 38, I was doing everything right:

Eating healthy.

Exercising.

Praying.

And yet, there I was—Googling survival rates, scheduling chemo, and learning how to live with an ostomy