I was reading an article awhile back and a racing athlete referred to a stress fracture as a “type two adventure.” He defined it as something that seems fun only when you look back at it, but not while you are doing it.

I suspicion that there are hundreds of “type-two fun” experiences in all our lives. A difficulty arises; there is pain and uncertainty. We struggle through the illness, the transition or the challenge and a few weeks or months pass. We look back and suddenly we can see how the edges that seemed so sharp now fit together into a discernable pattern.

I think that is what Joseph was referring to in Genesis 50:20. Although his brothers hated him and sold him into slavery, God gave Joseph a rearview mirror. And he declared, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

I take great joy when I read those two little words, “But God…” They assure me that the struggle I might be working through isn’t hidden from my Savior. He intends to use the pain, hurt, frustration, disappointment, loss or confusion for an ultimate good. I may not see it this side of glory, but He is there through it all.

As someone has said, “God who foresaw your tribulation has specifically armed you to go through it NOT without pain, but without STRAIN.”

This week if you are experiencing a “type-two fun” period of life. Please take heart. The challenge of it all is not lost on our Lord. Maybe we should spend a little less time trying to get out of the difficulty and instead spend some extra time finding Him in it.

Let’s join the psalmist and declare, “I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed” (Psalm 57:1).