The Goodness You’re Not Seeing (Yet)

Words of Inspiration

By Meghan Ryan Asbury

These days, it feels like we’re all holding our breath.

TThe world is loud, heavy, and often exhausting. The headlines blur together in shades of loss and division. Hope feels hard to find. We scroll through perfectly curated lives and start to wonder: Where is the goodness? Is it still out there? Or is it only reserved for everyone else?

Recently, a dear friend of mine asked me a question through quiet tears: “Why does it seem like God makes things easier for everyone else? Everyone around me is coasting along in life, getting everything I want. What more does He want from me?”

I didn’t have an answer. She has faced many challenges lately. Relationally, physically, professionally, and emotionally. The kind of pain that isn’t good, or even fair.

I sat silently. I thought of all the Band-Aid phrases we throw around when we don’t know what else to say: Everything happens for a reason. The best is yet to come. I’m praying for you. But I knew they would only skim the surface of the ache in front of me—an ache I knew all too well, because I’ve been there too. I’ve watched other people live the life I wanted. I’ve wrestled with what felt like silence when I cried out for help. I’ve asked the same questions: Why not me? Why does it feel like everyone else is thriving while I’m just surviving?

If that’s where you find yourself today, I want you to hear this from someone who’s still walking through it, too: God is not withholding His goodness from you.

That may be hard to believe. I understand. But just because someone else has what you long for doesn’t mean there isn’t enough goodness for you. Just because this season feels dark doesn’t mean the light won’t return.

There’s a passage in the Bible that I return to again and again—especially when everything feels uncertain:

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

—Matthew 6:28–30, NIV

Whether or not you share my faith, there’s something deeply human in this image: wildflowers that bloom without striving, a Creator who tends to even the smallest details, and a reminder that we are seen, held, and cared for even when life looks like the opposite.

Here’s what I’m learning, slowly and often imperfectly: Goodness doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. It’s not always tied to answered prayers or picture-perfect social media feeds. Sometimes, goodness shows up in the form of quiet resilience. Sometimes, it appears as peace amid chaos. Sometimes, it’s just the strength to get through another day.

And yes, sometimes it’s hard to see.

So how do we hold on to this truth when everything else tells us to give up? We make the quiet decision to trust—not just in some vague idea of optimism, but in the character of a God who’s proven faithful. We tell Him the truth about our disappointment. We remember where we’ve seen glimpses of His care before: small mercies, unexpected provision, peace that makes no sense. And we remind ourselves (and each other) that His fullness isn’t reserved for later. It’s available right now.

I don’t know what your life looks like in this moment. I don’t know what you’re waiting on, grieving, or hoping for. But I do know this: You are not forgotten.

The goodness of God isn’t something you have to earn. It’s not reserved for the people who “get it right.” It’s not doled out in comparison to what someone else has. It’s here. It’s real. And it’s enough for you, even if your life doesn’t look like what you imagined.

If God was willing to give everything—even His Son—to prove His love for us, then maybe we can trust that He hasn’t stopped working now.

Even when the world feels heavy.

Even when the answers don’t come.

Even here.

— V —

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Meghan Ryan Asbury is an author and speaker who is passionate about helping people discover and live out their God-given callings. She has worked in international ministries as well as with Proverbs 31 Ministries. When she’s not surrounded by friends, you can usually find her reading a book or enjoying the great outdoors. A 30-A beach girl, born and raised, she and her husband now reside in Nashville. Her first book, You Are Not Behind: Building a Life You Love Without Having Everything You Want, is available wherever books are sold. You can connect with her on Instagram @meghanryanasbury and at AlwaysMeghan.com.