Pain has a way of helping us see our need for the Lord and driving us to seek more of Him. However, it is gratefully not the only thing that helps build up our walk with Christ. The small and the large successes, each new discovery of the wonder of our God, and progress in our relationship all work toward the same sweet end. Our trials and our blessings each provide us with the opportunity to grow in spiritual leaps and bounds. As the wings of a bird working together lift it higher off the ground, so too, we can soar into heavenly heights. We float above where we stood on the ground before. We draw near the One we love, the One who first loved us. Let us use all at our disposal, every smile and every tear, to strengthen the bond we work to build that is forming between our Lord and us!  (Romans 8:18)