Finding Beauty in Life’s Upheavals: Reflections from The Weathering Grace of God

 

Retirement provides us with a rare chance to pause, reflect, and consider the patterns of our lives—the successes, the setbacks, and the quiet work of God in all of it. Recently, our group of retired men benefited from a book report on The Weathering Grace of God: The Beauty God Brings from Life's Upheavals by Ken Gire, a book that uses the Rocky Mountains as a metaphor for life's upheavals and God's grace that transforms them. Gire reminds us that even the most frightening and confusing circumstances can, over time, be shaped into something beautiful.

Gire’s insight begins with a simple but profound idea: life’s upheavals—whether death, disease, or disappointment—are like storms in the mountains. The bedrock of our certainties may shake. We feel lost, afraid, even abandoned. “We feel our way in the dark. Until we find each other. We huddle together in the storm. Wet and shivering, but together. And maybe in the end it will be our huddling in the storm that gives us more comfort than our understanding of the storm,” he writes. It is in these storms that God’s transformative work begins.

The mountain metaphor is powerful. Just as the tallest peaks form through upheaval and erosion, the spiritual landscape of our lives is shaped by trials and suffering. Terrifying eruptions, whether personal or communal, can create unexpected beauty. God’s sovereignty is active even when we cannot see it. But understanding this is never easy. Gire, drawing on his knowledge of the Rockies and his own life experiences, stresses that the first stage of beauty is upheaval itself.

So, how should we respond when storms arrive? Gire shares a tragic example—the death of a pastor’s son—where initially no beauty seemed possible. It is only by keeping God at the center that meaning is revealed. Without Him, life’s upheavals are just random events. But with Him, even the most incomprehensible tragedies can become opportunities for grace, growth, and hope. Psalm 46 reminds us that upheavals come in many forms—natural, political, military—and yet God’s voice calls us to stillness: “Be still and know that I am God.” Gire emphasizes that stillness is not passive resignation; it is a meeting with the divine, an invitation to experience God rather than just understand Him.

The book also explores the mystery, uncertainty, and ambiguity that accompany suffering. As Christians, we often seek clarity and certainty, but Gire encourages us to live with the questions. Our lives are part of a larger story—a blend of sunshine and storms—that extends from Paradise to Paradise. Who we are, our role in God’s plan, and the timing of His work remain partly hidden. Nevertheless, this mystery is not a burden; it is a space for humility, reflection, and dependence on God.

Prayer, honest dialogue with God, and faithful presence in the midst of uncertainty are central to weathering life’s storms. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, we bring to God what is in us, not what ought to be in us. Experiencing God in the midst of difficulty, rather than fully understanding Him, is the path to true intimacy. Gire likens this knowledge to scaling a mountain: it cannot be learned from study alone; it must be lived.

Through all of this, God’s grace remains steady. Every loss has the potential to bring gain, every sorrow offers a chance for compassion, and every trial provides an opportunity to reflect His glory. One of the most striking illustrations in Gire’s book comes from the lives of David and Solomon. David’s life was marked by upheaval—he faced betrayal from King Saul, heartache over his son Absalom’s rebellion, and the deep personal consequences of his sin with Bathsheba. His life was a rollercoaster of triumphs, failures, heartbreak, and redemption. By contrast, Solomon, David’s son, inherited a relatively peaceful reign with fewer personal upheavals.

It’s tempting to look at Solomon’s life and desire the ease he experienced—to want a life of comfort without struggle. But Gire points out the tension here: we may want David’s epitaph, but I want Solomon’s life.  David’s turbulent life, shaped and refined through trials, ultimately produced a legacy of faith, courage, and a lineage that led to the Savior of the world.

This comparison reminds us that it is often during life's storms, rather than in calm, that God’s grace is most powerful. While we may desire ease and smooth paths, it is the challenges—the upheavals, failures, and hardships—that shape our character, strengthen our faith, and create lasting beauty. Grace acts as the thread that connects these trials into a tapestry of significance, just as God used David’s tumultuous life to fulfill His ultimate purposes.

The Weathering Grace of God reminds us that God does not promise a life without upheaval. But He does promise that, in His time and through His grace, every broken and jagged part of our lives can be transformed into something awe-inspiring. As we walk through retirement, may we remember that the storms we face, when surrendered to God, are shaping us into men who reflect His glory, patience, and beauty.