What To Do When Life Sucks
Let’s be honest: sometimes life just plain sucks. No sugarcoating, no spiritual gloss. Hard seasons come for everyone, and when they do, the question is: What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
The Bible gives us an answer in the life of Joseph. At just seventeen years old, Joseph had a dream from God and a heart full of promise. But before long, he found himself betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and locked in prison. He went from favored son to forgotten slave in what must have felt like a heartbeat.
Joseph’s story shows us that following God doesn’t exempt us from pits. In fact, sometimes it’s because you’re following Him that you land in one. Pit happens. But what Joseph models is how to keep your head in the clouds, anchored to God’s promises, when your feet are stuck in the dirt.
Psalm 105 retells Joseph’s journey: “He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters; he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him” (vv. 17–19).
That little phrase, “He sent a man,” is striking. Joseph’s brothers thought they were ridding themselves of him. In reality, God was sending him ahead to preserve a nation. What others meant for evil, God meant for good.
The secret is learning to see both screens at once: what’s happening in front of you and what God is saying behind it. That’s keeping your head in the clouds.
So what does it look like in practice? Here are six ways Joseph teaches us to walk through the worst of times.
Control What You Can. Joseph couldn’t control betrayal, slavery, or prison. But he could control his attitude, his integrity, and his work ethic. Over and over, the Bible says he was successful—not because circumstances were good, but because he chose to honor God where he was.
Learn From Mistakes. Joseph started out cocky, bragging about his dreams to his brothers. But pit after pit refined him. By the end, he had grown in wisdom, humility, and emotional intelligence. Hardship can either make us bitter or make us better. Joseph let it make him better.
Take the Road Less Traveled. When temptation came (Potiphar’s wife offering an easy escape), Joseph said no. Later, when his brothers bowed before him, he chose forgiveness instead of revenge. The narrow road isn’t easy, but it leads to peace, integrity, and freedom.
Use Your New Superpowers. Every pit Joseph endured gave him new strength. Running Potiphar’s house prepared him to run a prison. Running a prison prepared him to run Egypt. Pain became training ground for power. The same can be true for us.
Don’t Bottle Your Emotions. Joseph wept often. He didn’t deny his feelings, but he didn’t let them define the story either. He filtered them through the truth that God meant it for good. Bring your emotions to God honestly—but let His Word have the last say.
Stay Forward-Thinking. Even on his deathbed, Joseph was looking ahead: “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here” (Genesis 50:25). He believed that God’s promises stretched beyond his lifetime. Hope looks forward.
Here’s the paradox: the more you suffer, the more you weigh. Trials add gravity to your life. They make you substantial, steady, harder to blow away when storms come.
Joseph came out of every pit heavier with God’s glory. And so can you. When life sucks, you don’t have to fake a smile or deny the pain. But you can anchor your hope in the God who sees, who redeems, and who uses even pits as preparation.
So keep your head in the clouds. Control what you can. Learn, grow, forgive, and press forward. Because on the other side of your pit, God is writing a bigger story than you can see right now.
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