Building Faith Families with Steve Demme

The best part of being in a valley is that God loves there. He is comfortable in the valley. Jesus is described as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. The Psalmist says the LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

But sometimes God needs us to invite Him to be with us as we try to endure hard times. Steve talks about how God was “there all the time” as He promised, but was also more real when he asked God to share in the bearing of the burden.

I used to skip through the Beatitudes to more comforting verses in Matthew, but scripture teaches that valleys, or difficult experiences, are not abnormal for God’s people. They are the norm.

Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are thy that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

God is faithful and He promises to never leave us or forsake us. He is a very present help in trouble.

And sometimes what appears hard and difficult is actually a blessing in disguise. I know you will be encouraged by the story of a modern day Daniel in an African lion’s den.

Life can be hard. Personal struggles and difficulties often come with a significant grief component. This painful experience changed my view of the Christian life. I had become a Christian for the perks, heaven, forgiveness of sin, joy, peace, but I didn’t understand suffering. Suffering is accompanied by grief and I didn’t know how to process the pain nor fix the situation, which led to burnout.

Steve shares their family's journey of having a special needs child. Every child will change the chemistry of the home. When you have a child with a disability, life becomes harder. Not only to the family unit, but each member of the family as well. This is our journey and I hope it will encourage you in the difficult experiences you are facing.