What Suffering Produces: Learning to See God’s Unseen Work in the Aisles of Everyday Life

Why is going to the grocery store such a large feat?

Maybe it’s because everyone seems to be fighting for our time. Or because our little people make every errand feel more like an expedition than a quick trip. Or perhaps it’s the growing prices that make us anxious before we even reach the checkout line.

Whenever I hear the word produce, my mind immediately pictures vegetables. But lately, the word has carried a deeper meaning. That shift began after a recent visit to my doctor, who suggested I limit inflammatory foods and focus more on fresh produce to help manage my chronic illness.

Living with chronic illness is not easy or enjoyable, but it has a way of producing things in me that nothing else could.

Suffering Produces Something Sacred

After that discouraging appointment, I decided to make the most of my “sick day” by stopping at the store, determined to check at least one thing off my list.

As I walked among the apples and potatoes, a fragment of Scripture kept stirring in my heart: “We know that suffering produces perseverance…”

Perseverance was not what I felt that day. Between pain, fatigue, and frustration, I simply wanted to go home and hide under a blanket. But the verse lingered, quietly tugging at my attention. Curious, I opened my phone and searched for the full passage.

Romans 5:3–5 (NIV) says: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

God’s Quiet Work in the Mundane

There, in the middle of an ordinary grocery aisle, God whispered to my heart: I’m not asking you to produce more. I’m quietly producing in you.

Perseverance. Character. Hope.

He wasn’t looking for me to do more, strive harder, or fix myself. He was inviting me to trust that even in pain and inconvenience, He was at work refining me, just as Paul describes in Romans.

In the original Greek, the word for perseverance (hypomonē) implies steadfast endurance, the kind that holds firm under pressure. This endurance shapes character (dokimē), meaning tested and proven faith. From there, hope (elpis) blooms—not a wishful thought, but a confident assurance rooted in God’s unchanging love.

When we read this progression slowly, we begin to see that suffering is not wasted. God does not leave pain unredeemed; He uses it as the soil for spiritual fruit.

When You Don’t Feel Productive

Maybe you don’t feel productive today. Maybe you’re tired, frustrated, or simply trying to make it through the next errand. But take heart. God is not measuring your worth by your output. He’s measuring your heart by His ongoing work within it.

Every moment of surrender, every whispered prayer, every weary act of obedience becomes part of His refining process. Even in the aisles of everyday life, God is producing something eternal.

A Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You for meeting me in the mundane moments. Help me see that even in pain or inconvenience, You are producing something beautiful in me. Grow perseverance, character, and hope in my heart, and teach me to trust that Your love is enough right here. Amen.

Meet the Author
Reanna Hoffman

Reanna is a writer, speaker, coach, and host of the Not Just Waiting Podcast, where she equips women to wait well and actively pursue Jesus in every season. A former teacher who followed God’s call into new adventures, Reanna is passionate about reminding others they are seen, valued, and deeply loved by God. Whether she’s writing, coaching, or baking something sweet, she believes the Lord is the best adventure guide—and she’s just getting started.

Connect with her on Instagram here.