What is God actually making out of all this pain?

You have carried the wound. You have done the hard work of choosing to forgive, even when it cost you. And now you are standing there wondering what any of it was for. That is not a faithless question. It is the most honest one you can ask. God does not waste what you have walked through. He is a builder, and the broken pieces are the material he works with best. Listen to what he says about it.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

- Romans 8:28 (KJV)

Today, write down one thing that hurt you badly and, next to it, one way you are different because of it. Not stronger in a vague way. Specific. More patient with your child. Less afraid of conflict. Quicker to apologise. That difference is what God has been building.

Lord, I have not always understood what you were doing. But I choose to trust that nothing has been wasted. Build something good from what I have been through. Amen.