My dear friend has an illness that has progressed, and now she is in a wheelchair most of the time. We had coffee a few days ago, and she said this to me: “It’s easy to have a pity party when illness or trials come along. We don’t get to choose whether suffering will hit in our life, or even when.”
Every time my friend and I meet, I am reminded that we all are bound to some kind of invisible wheelchair by things that incapacitate us. It might be a difficult diagnosis, the loss of someone we love, rejection, betrayal, failure, a wayward child, financial crisis. The list goes on.
Suffering and trials don’t have the last word in our lives. My friend always inspires and reminds me that lessons and treasures can appear on the other side of the suffering. “It doesn’t happen passively,” she said to me with a smile. “It requires work and effort, and a lot of prayer and processing. It takes eyes that want to see it that way. It may not happen in an instant, but it is possible and available to all of us.”
Jesus was the best example of the tension between joy and suffering; between enduring hard things and preaching a beautiful 
message on the other side. If you are walking that painful journey between joy and suffering, let Psalm 23 encourage you. It is personal and reminds us that the Good Shepherd is there when it feels like we will never emerge from the “valley of the shadow of death.” The psalmist declares that the Lord is “my shepherd”—a reminder that the relationship of the shepherd to the lamb is close, caring, and compassionate. No matter how lost you feel, He is closer than you can imagine.
He is your protector. He is powerful and attentive to everything you are going through.
He is your provider. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. (Psalm 23:2)
He is your pursuer. During a tough chapter of my life, it was a comfort to know that with my Shepherd, I could walk through the darkest valley and not tremble.
The Good Shepherd sees, knows, cares, loves, and prepares hope and help for each of his sheep, and that includes you! 
For those who are in a dark place right now, may you rest in knowing God is not just walking with you, but also carrying you through to the other side. You will be stronger and have a greater purpose when you reach your destination. The Good Shepherd takes your journey very personally. Hold on and don’t let go, because He is holding on to you, and He will never let you go.