When I was younger and going through a rough patch, my mother would always (and I mean always) tell me, “There are brighter days tomorrow.” I would generally respond by rolling my eyes, as if to say, “Yeah right, Mom.” 

Perhaps you are rolling your eyes also. It’s hard to believe that brighter days could lie ahead when you are struggling with something. Some of you may have lost jobs or, worse yet, loved ones. Some of you may be experiencing loneliness or depression. Some of you may be wondering if God has taken a vacation. 

My mom’s catchphrase wasn’t based on wishful thinking or a “glass half full” outlook on her part. Truth be told, she experienced many dark days in her own life—poverty, the Great Depression, a challenging marriage to a husband who struggled with mental illness. No, her maxim had far deeper roots. It was rooted in her unwavering belief in her Savior’s promise that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38,39). 

When I think about my mother’s words, I no longer roll my eyes. Instead, I glance upward, knowing that she is now sharing “brighter days” with her Savior and that one day I will too.