--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There may be circumstances in this life…" description: "\"There may be circumstances in this life that God uses to keep bringing us back to Him, looking for His grace.\" — Jan Karon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png" --- # There may be circumstances in this life that God uses to… ![“There may be circumstances in this life that God uses to keep bringing us back to Him, looking for His grace.” quote by Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png) > “There may be circumstances in this life that God uses to keep bringing us back to Him, looking for His grace.” [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s challenges can be divine tests that push us back toward God’s grace. **In simple terms:** Challenges guide us back to God. Key Takeaway Embrace trials as spiritual guidance. Themes faith grace testing Mood contemplative comforting Type religious inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - health struggles - moral dilemmas Key Concepts theology spiritual growth resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret hardship spiritually? - What signs indicate divine guidance? A Different Perspective Not all hardships are purposeful; some are random. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/) ## Related quotes > [There are no circumstances in your life where God will not stand will not stand with you and help you, no matter what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/there-are-no-circumstances-in-your-life-where-god-will-not-stand-will/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The Bible talks about how God uses difficult situations to develop our character and get us stronger. The death of my father is probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/the-bible-talks-about-how-god-uses-difficult-situations-to-develop/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I used to think that one day I'd be able to resolve the different drives I have in different directions, the tensions between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/i-used-to-think-that-one-day-i-d-be-able-to-resolve-the-different/) [Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [“#1. Spend more time considering evidences of grace in other Christians than you do pondering their sins and weaknesses. You, as a Christian, probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/1-spend-more-time-considering-evidences-of-grace-in-other-christians/) [Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/) > [“The throw truck driver and car-lot owner stood there, peering at us. Hier voice came through, muffled by the glass. ''You find what you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-throw-truck-driver-and-car-lot-owner-stood-there-peering-at-us/) [maggie stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [The trick is to begin looking for the grace hidden beneath the struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-trick-is-to-begin-looking-for-the-grace-hidden-beneath-the/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the grace of my life So tender, so undeserved Hard to believe you're my wife Even harder to put what I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-littrell/you-are-the-grace-of-my-life-so-tender-so-undeserved-hard-to-believe/) [Brian Littrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-littrell/) > [“He was old-fashioned looking, Grace decided. 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Perhaps all besides is but folly and vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brother-lawrence/let-us-think-often-that-our-only-business-in-this-life-is-to-please/) [Brother Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brother-lawrence/) > [People who have never had an ideal may hope to find one; they are in a better state than the people who allow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/people-who-have-never-had-an-ideal-may-hope-to-find-one-they-are-in-a/) [Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/) > [Because we all come from different circumstances, our life experiences really color how we view things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-spencer/because-we-all-come-from-different-circumstances-our-life-experiences/) [Octavia Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-spencer/) > [“Life is to be experienced in totality. Try not to blame others like spouse, parents, friends, fellow beings or situations for any suffering. ..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakshi-chetana/life-is-to-be-experienced-in-totality-try-not-to-blame-others-like/) [Sakshi Chetana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakshi-chetana/) > [This is our world and we need the same things to survive. If I'm making my life better and the circumstances of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/this-is-our-world-and-we-need-the-same-things-to-survive-if-i-m/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [Your current life is a result of the choices you have already made. You may not control some of the circumstances in your life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/your-current-life-is-a-result-of-the-choices-you-have-already-made/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) ## More by Jan Karon > [“In every way, un-forgiveness makes us the victim—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/in-every-way-un-forgiveness-makes-us-the-victim/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [In Ireland there’s no such thing as bad weather ~~~ only the wrong clothes. (In the Company of Others)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/in-ireland-there-s-no-such-thing-as-bad-weather-only-the-wrong/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Sorrow and joy, he thought, so inextricably entwined that he could scarcely tell where one left off and the other began.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/sorrow-and-joy-he-thought-so-inextricably-entwined-that-he-could/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Maybe the best way to honor the deceased was to laugh with the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/maybe-the-best-way-to-honor-the-deceased-was-to-laugh-with-the-living/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [Paul said in the second epistle...the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine...they will accumulate for themselves teachers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/paul-said-in-the-second-epistle-the-time-is-coming-when-people-will/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [This is a gift that God has given me. I'm not smart enough to write for everybody, but it's the love in these books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/this-is-a-gift-that-god-has-given-me-i-m-not-smart-enough-to-write/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [Publishing is, by its nature, about deadlines, and deadlines are toxic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/publishing-is-by-its-nature-about-deadlines-and-deadlines-are-toxic/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [The firefly only shines when on the wing, So it is with us--when we stop, we darken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/the-firefly-only-shines-when-on-the-wing-so-it-is-with-us-when-we/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Thank you, God, for second chances,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/thank-you-god-for-second-chances/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“Fear is one of the Enemy’s deadliest strategies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/fear-is-one-of-the-enemy-s-deadliest-strategies/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“For one thing, telling a lie is like eating peanuts. One leads to another. In no time at all, you’ve gone through a bagful.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/for-one-thing-telling-a-lie-is-like-eating-peanuts-one-leads-to/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“And so I enjoyed the warm feelings, the stuff of the heart, when it was present between us, as it sometimes was, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/and-so-i-enjoyed-the-warm-feelings-the-stuff-of-the-heart-when-it-was/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“One of the things that makes a dead leaf fall to the ground is the bud of the new leaf that pushes it off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/one-of-the-things-that-makes-a-dead-leaf-fall-to-the-ground-is-the/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“He’d been amped for a long time; actually, everybody he knew was amped. He would like to spend the rest of his life de-amping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/he-d-been-amped-for-a-long-time-actually-everybody-he-knew-was-amped/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [“All people are children when they sleep. There’s no war in them then . . . They . . . open their hands halfway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/all-people-are-children-when-they-sleep-there-s-no-war-in-them-then/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) [Explore all 156 Jan Karon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) ## More Circumstances quotes > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I don't think you would have missed that putt, but in these circumstances, I would never give you the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-don-t-think-you-would-have-missed-that-putt-but-in-these/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-used-to-think-i-could-shape-the-circumstances-around-me-but-now-i/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 4,560 Circumstances quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There may be circumstances in this life that God uses to keep bringing us back to Him, looking for His grace.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jan Karon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life-that-god-uses-to-keep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circumstances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life-that-god-uses-to-keep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a30/jan-karon-2637_circumstances_there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life_2674791.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There may be circumstances in this life that God uses to keep bringing us back to Him, looking for His grace.” — Jan Karon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jan Karon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There may be circumstances in this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life-that-god-uses-to-keep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/there-may-be-circumstances-in-this-life-that-god-uses-to-keep/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```