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Life is like a journey with happy times and tough times. Sometimes we feel on top of the world, like living in a palace. Other times, we feel lost, like wandering in a desert. Both are part of God’s plan to shape us. The story of Moses shows this so well. His life teaches us that tough times prepare us for something big, even if we only understand it later when God shows us His plan, like He did with Moses at the burning bush.

Happy Times and Hard Times

Moses had three big chapters in his life. For the first 40 years, he lived in a palace in Egypt (Acts 7:22). He had everything—good food, nice clothes, and people who cared for him. I call these “palace times.” They’re the happy moments in our lives when we feel loved and things go well. These times are gifts from God. They make us thankful and fill our hearts with joy.

But Moses’ life changed. At 40, he got in trouble for protecting one of his people and had to run away to a place called Midian (Ex. 2:11-15). There, he spent 40 years looking after his father-in-law’s sheep. Life in the desert was hard. It was hot, lonely, and tough. I call these “desert times.” We all have them—times when life feels unfair, when we face problems, or when people don’t understand us. For Moses, it probably felt like a big step down from the palace. I bet he wondered, “God, why is this happening?”

But those desert years weren’t a waste. They were God’s way of getting Moses ready. St. Augustine once said that God uses hard times to make us stronger, not to hurt us. In the desert, Moses learned how to survive. He figured out which plants to eat, how to avoid dangerous snakes, and how to handle the harsh weather. These lessons would help him later.

The Burning Bush Moment

When Moses was 80, something amazing happened. He saw a bush on fire, but it didn’t burn up (Ex. 3:1-6). God spoke to him from that bush, telling him to go back to Egypt and free His people. This was Moses’ “burning bush moment”—when God showed him the big plan. But that moment only came after 40 years in the palace and 40 years in the desert.

This tells us something important. Our hard times aren’t for nothing. They get us ready for what God wants us to do. St. John Chrysostom, said God sometimes waits to call us until we’re ready, shaped by our struggles. Moses’ desert years taught him how to lead people through tough places. If he had stayed in the palace his whole life, he might have been kind but not strong enough to lead a million people through the desert.

Why We Need Both

We need both happy times and hard times. Palace times make us loving and thankful. Desert times make us tough and humble. If we only have palace times, we might get soft and not know how to handle problems. If we only have desert times, we might get bitter and lose hope. You said it so well: we need both to become the person God wants us to be.

The Bible says this too. In Rom. 5:3-4, it tells us that hard times build strength, character, and hope. And in Jas. 1:2-4, it says to be joyful in troubles because they make us complete. Both happy and hard times work together to shape us.

Hard Times Get Us Ready

Moses’ desert years were like a school. The people he was going to lead were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years (Ex. 12:40-41). They only knew city life. They didn’t know how to survive in the desert—how to find food, avoid poisonous bugs, or stay safe from bad weather. But Moses did. He learned all this during his desert years. When the people got sick or were bitten by snakes (Num. 21:4-9), Moses knew what to do because he’d been through it himself.

This is true for us too. The tough things we go through prepare us for what’s ahead. Sometimes we don’t see why until later, when God shows us His plan—like a burning bush moment. You said it perfectly: hard times only make sense when we see the burning bush. St. Teresa of Ávila said, “Everything passes, but God stays the same. Patience wins everything.” Her words remind us to keep going, even when things are hard.

Why Do We Suffer?

Suffering is never easy. Sometimes it feels like God forgot us. But the truth is, God uses it to get us ready. Like Moses, our struggles teach us things we’ll need later. Maybe we’re learning patience to help someone else. Maybe we’re learning strength to face a big challenge. We might not understand it now, but when God shows us His plan, it’ll all make sense.

The Catholic Church teaches this too. It says our struggles can join with Jesus’ suffering to do good in the world (Catechism, 1521). Our desert times are part of God’s big plan, even if we can’t see it yet.

Trusting God’s Plan

Moses’ story gives me hope. It reminds me that my happy times and hard times are both important. The palace builds my heart. The desert builds my strength. And when I feel stuck in the desert, I can trust that God is getting me ready for something. One day, I’ll see my burning bush—when God shows me why it all happened.

The Bible says, “God works all things for good for those who love Him” (Rom. 8:28). So, let’s hold on. Let’s thank God for the palace times and trust Him in the desert times. Because somewhere out there, a burning bush is waiting, ready to show us God’s beautiful plan.