When life becomes too hard

Often times I hear the statement, “Life is just too hard…I can’t do this anymore…”.  When I say that I hear this what I mean is both in my mind as well as from others.  Life does have difficult times…and every once in awhile, it is completely and totally overwhelming.  When we, as believers, find ourselves overwhelmed and wanting to simply quit…what do we do?

I believe the answer begins much earlier than when the wave crashes.  It begins early on in our walk with Him.  We have got to allow the Holy Spirit to rain truth down on us, in us and through us.  We begin to tune our ears to the voice of our Father.  Once we identify his voice we then begin to “better” understand His desires and His leading.  We begin to trust Him and all that he says in His WORD. 

This all leads us to accept the times of wilderness…times of struggles…times of trials and temptations.   If we are truly seeking to follow Christ…be Christ to those we meet as “dead men walking”…i.e. dead to ourselves and alive through Christ, which was made possible, ironically, through His death…then we embrace the struggles as they always lead to growth.  They allow us to minister to others in ways that would not have been possible had we not experienced the hard times the way we did, when we did.  The bottom-line for me is that I am constantly seeking brokenness in order to find reconciliation/relationship/LIFE.  That’s not to say that I am avoiding joy, love, simple pleasures.  I love to laugh.   I swell with excitement when I see a beautiful South-Texas sunset.  I find great joy in playing with my children.  I cherish the relationship I have with Kathryn (my wife.)  The list of “good” things in my life goes on and on… I am simply saying that when times of struggle come my way, I am learning to embrace them and see them as opportunities to grow.

I have chosen to believe and trust Christ.  He said fear nothing except God.  He said that I can do anything through Him.  He said to persevere…to finish the race.  He also said to rest.  He said to share one another’s burdens.  Personally, that translates to talking with others about issues in my life…others who are strong in their walk; finding Christians in my life that are willing to truly hold me accountable; asking for help when I need it.  The most impacting thing God has shown me lately is that Grace without Truth isn’t Grace at all…which leads to my next blog.

 

Until then…may God bless you and strengthen you and your walk.