Reflection on Why God "allows" life to be Hard at times

God honors our choices and has shown immeasurable patience to allow humanity to choose Him. It is often in the valleys of life that we get down to getting "real" and beyond our intellectual doubts as we are humbled by our helplessness and reach out to God. And when in our darkest hours He responds and begins His work in our life, then one is deeply and forever changed. Shalom replaces the frantic race. Gray becomes technicolor. Despair transforms to hope. Fear dissipates as trust grows. Wounds begin to heal. And one learns that life is hard, but how much harder without God? Without God it is an invariable downward spiral.