When Hard Things Make Us Harder
Daily Devotional—Monday, October 12, 2026
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:3, NKJV
Heart Change Insight
Some of the hardest things we go through leave a mark.
A relationship falls apart. Someone we trusted wounds us. A prayer doesn't turn out the way we hoped. We lose something we can't replace. Maybe we keep functioning, but we know something inside us has changed.
It would be easy to assume that pain itself makes us deeper, wiser, or closer to God.
It doesn't always work that way.
Sometimes suffering leaves us more open to God. Sometimes it leaves us guarded, afraid to trust, or determined that we will never let ourselves be hurt that way again. Those responses don't mean we have failed spiritually. Deep wounds can take time to heal, and struggling to trust after being hurt is not the same thing as refusing God.
Still, there is an important difference between being broken and brokenness.
I make that distinction because the two can look similar from the outside. We can go through something devastating and still be trying to survive through our own strength. We can hurt deeply and also find ourselves tightening our grip on control because letting go feels unsafe.
Pain happened.
But pain by itself does not produce humility.
When Hard Things Make Us Harder
Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
Being poor in spirit is not the same thing as being beaten down. It is recognizing our need for God.
The heart has an amazing ability to protect itself. When hard things make us harder, we may build walls, become more self-reliant, or quietly decide that needing anyone is simply too dangerous.
Sometimes that includes God.
Where were You? Why did You let this happen? How can I trust You with this now?
Those are real questions. God is not threatened by them. The danger comes when our pain slowly becomes a reason to close ourselves off from the very presence we need.
The question is not, Have I suffered enough?
The better question is, What is this suffering doing in my spirit?
Am I becoming increasingly guarded? Am I trying to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again? Or, somewhere inside the hurt, am I becoming willing to say, "God, I don't know how to handle this. I need You here."?
Brokenness begins when our confidence in ourselves gives way to the recognition that we need God. The destination isn't devastation. It's connection with Him.
That does not mean the wound suddenly stops hurting.
When our spirit has been deeply wounded, even our hope, trust, and desire to move forward can be affected. We may struggle to stand again in the very areas where God created us to have passion and purpose. That isn't the same thing as humility. It's a wound that needs healing.
When Brokenness Opens the Door to Life
God doesn't ask us to pretend that kind of pain is gone.
He invites us to let Him meet us in it.
That is where suffering can begin to be redeemed. We stop depending only on our ability to endure, control, understand, or protect ourselves. We begin receiving His grace and comfort in a place where our own resources are not enough.
That is different from simply surviving something hard.
We can survive and still carry the wound alone.
Brokenness begins when we become willing to open that place to God.
Maybe all we can say today is:
I cannot make this unhappen. I still hurt. I do not know what healing will look like. But I do not want this pain to close my heart to You. I need You here.
That is not defeat.
That is the posture Jesus called poor in spirit.
And that is a place where we can begin receiving His life.
Reflection Question
Think about something painful that changed you. As you look at your heart now, where do you notice greater openness to God, and where do you notice fear, guarding, or self-protection?
Prayer
Father, You know the places where pain has changed me. Show me where I have become guarded or self-protective, and meet me there with Your presence. Help me understand the difference between being deeply wounded and becoming humble before You. Teach me to recognize my need without condemning myself for the places that still hurt. Give me grace to receive Your life where I have tried to survive on my own. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Today's Step of Obedience
Choose one painful area you usually avoid, control, or protect.
Don't force yourself to solve it today.
Simply pray:
“God, I do not want this pain to close my heart to You. Show me what receiving from You could look like here.”
Then sit quietly for a few minutes and notice what happens in your spirit.
Grow Deeper
WATCH
When Suffering Changes Us
Heart Change U Live!
A deeper teaching on suffering, receiving God’s grace and comfort, and allowing Him to redeem what has happened rather than simply enduring it.
LISTEN
Audiobook Chapter 7
Releasing God's Life Through the Hearts of Men
Listen to Pastor David's fuller teaching on the difference between being broken and brokenness, becoming poor in spirit, and recognizing our need for God's life.
READ
PTSD: A Spiritual Perspective
eBook available at no cost
For readers dealing with trauma, triggers, fear, or a wounded spirit, this eBook goes further into how deep pain affects the inner person and how healing involves allowing God into places that have felt unsafe or beyond repair.
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