Where Are My Pickles, God? Learning to Trust When Life Feels Disappointing

The other week, I ran out of wraps and chickpea salad for my lunch so I had to grab Wawa on my way to work.

I’m a huge fan of pickles, so you can imagine the excitement I felt when I was putting my order in on the app (because are you even from Philly if you don’t have the Wawa app?!) and stumbled upon the Dill Pickle Ranch Oven Roasted Turkey Hoagie on the menu.

A sandwich with not only dill ranch sauce and pickles but also crispy pickles? Um, yes please! 

It sounded divine.

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I was a few days away from beginning my cycle, and I was having a tough work week. To say I was craving pickles was putting it mildly. Girls, I’m sure you get it.

There is no rhyme or reason as to why certain cravings hit more than others. Sometimes all you want is cheese, something fried, or something sweet.

For me, that day I wanted something sweet, tangy and crunchy. I was sure this hoagie was going to make my tough week a little bit better.  

Fast forward to later in the afternoon when I finally got my lunch break after a trip with my class.

I eagerly unwrapped the white and red wrapping around the sandwich, picked up my hoagie, took a bite, and was met with instant disappointment.

The dill ranch sauce was there, but there were no pickles. No crispy pickles. No glorious bread and butter ones straight from the jar. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I felt let down. They forgot my pickles. 

Maybe it’s a silly comparison, but I think sometimes life can feel like a sandwich without the topping we were hoping to get.

It’s a mix of something good with something that’s not so good.

Something that’s heavier than a missing topping. Loss, heartache, health problems, family dysfunction, discontentment, financial difficulties, mental health struggles. The list goes on. It’s the forgotten pickles.

I’m ashamed to admit that at times in life, I may look at God and see the pain, see the discouragement or see Him not answer my prayers as fast as I want Him to and I say, “hey where are my pickles?”  

​However, while we like to not face this fact, we were not promised a pain-free life.

We were never promised a life free of tears, disappointments, health problems, mental health struggles, hurt and loss.

However, we are promised that despite what we may face on earth, we will never walk alone.

John 16:33, states “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Because of what Jesus has done for you and me we do not have to worry about what lies ahead here for us on earth, because He has defeated death and has given us the opportunity to receive everlasting life with Him. 

​Isaiah 43:2 states, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

God promises that even though we will face painful and uncertain times in life that feel like walking through fire and rivers, that He will not leave us. He will be by our side.

I know as I look back on my life, I can remember that God walked with me even in my most heartbreaking moments.

Moments when life looked bleary and getting out of bed seemed impossible.

Moments where I felt like I had more questions than answers and felt overwhelmed.

Moments where I let my selfishness or narrow-mindedness take over and caused my own pain and discontentment, but God still stayed by my side.

Yes, even when life feels like God forgot to give you your metaphorical pickles, He is still there and He will never leave you.  

I hope you can be encouraged by this today. I’d like to challenge you to do something I’ve been trying to do more lately.

Pick one of or both of these verses and write them down on an index card or piece of paper. Carry it with you everywhere you go and try to memorize it.

There is value in scripture memorization and it’s not a habit that we should stop just because we left Sunday School.

I know in my own life, I have found memorizing certain scripture to be beneficial in helping me calm my worries, redirect my attention to God and remind myself of who I am when I am feeling insecure.

I hope that you can find that as well. And I hope that your day is filled with your version of pickles.

Related Reading:

• Trusting God Through Disappointment
• Following God When It Doesn’t Make Sense
• Embracing the Wait for God’s Promises
• God’s Timing
• Food For the Soul: How to Use Food to Nourish Your Body and Spirit 

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