Jeremiah 29:11

I've heard the song "Blessings" by Laura Story so many times before, I'm sure, but I just really heard it for the very first time. Maybe it's because, though I can find the application for my own life, it's years passed but the recent events in the lives of two people I feel a deep connection with definitely bring the application back home. Facing a situation where you are suffering loss or know there is potential to suffer loss can be the hardest times ever but God promises His faithfulness in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you future and hope."
Remembering God's plan is the best plan isn't always easy. More often than not it's easier said than done but having been through what I felt (at the time) was hell on earth, I can honestly say there is a silver lining that we can look to when living those dark times. It's such a comfort to know that regardless of the outcome, you are in the best hands.
A loving God could never keep His children from life's struggles. How could we ever learn to rely fully on Him if everything we ever wanted were handed on a silver platter? A perfect world is not conducive to learning lessons, we need all of the negative in order to move forward in our spiritual lives and give us a better connection with our Creator. We don't go through struggles because God's forgotten us, we go through struggles because He loves us.