God is often more interested in changing us than comforting us

​Sometimes, when I'm going through a tough time, I overlook God. I overlook him because I'm expecting God to show up and make my tough time go away. I get to believing God will be found in the disappearing act - so when the tough time lives on - I assume God is not there.

But my God isn't a disappearing God. He takes far more pleasure in saying "watch what I'm going to do with this" than he does in saying "watch me make this go away."

I think we get that if we see God as a God who wants to shape our character and not our comfort.

Running has taught me that. Last night I shared briefly about my Georgia Jewel journey. Over the years, that one event has been the home of more physical, mental and emotional challenges than I can count. But every one of those challenges has shaped a better and stronger me.

To the point that I know those experiences have never been about making me better at running the Georgia Jewel, they've been about making me better at being Keith.

Last weekend, I got to speak to the incoming freshmen at the college where I work part-time. College was one of the most challenging times of my life. There were days I wondered if I'd ever make it out of that decade long college experience alive.

But there I was - alive and well - talking to a group of young people just beginning their own college experiences. There I was, a full grown miracle, a miracle grown out of days I simply wanted God to make go away.

As I watched those kids' eyes focus on me. As I watched them absorb every word - some much more intensely than others - I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if God had simply made those days disappear.

What if my God had been more interested in showing me my comfort instead of his miracles?

I know God's not done answering that question. I know some day in the future, at least one of those 400 kids is going to benefit from God's relentless commitment to changing me - even when it feels like he's ignoring my plea to just make it all go away.

There are many days, now - when I'm feeling the adversity in my life - that I don't even bother asking God to make it all go away. I've come to realize God doesn't enjoy seeing me suffer. He doesn't take pleasure in my discomfort.

But God does enjoy seeing me grow.

He does celebrate seeing me change.

Oh how he loves planting seeds. Because when we're standing in the moments of those seeds turned to miracles, we know exactly who planted them.

And we're suddenly thankful that God is much more than a disappearing act.