Persevering Through Hard Times

When we live out our lives, we expect the good times, we rejoice in them. We celebrate relationships with our friends and family, falling in love, new jobs or promotions, engagements, marriages, the births of our children, graduations etc… These are the highlights. The day-to-day, that seems uneventful for some, can also be something in which to rejoice. 

Then there are the times we want to be over, but must endure. We whine, we begrudgingly drag our feet through those days, we complain, we let everyone or no one know of these struggles. Divorce, difficulties in our relationships with friends or family (the sleepless nights of teething and viral sickness between two children, in my case), death of a loved one, a cancer diagnosis, an act of terror that hits close to home…for some reason this list seems like it could go on longer than all the good we celebrate. These events seem to stop us in our tracks, they consume our thoughts and put our lives on hold. More so it seems than the good.  We’re left asking “Why?” or “Why me?” Even more so, “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?”

While, I’m not an expert on answering these difficult questions, maybe I can shed light as to how I’ve come to understand perseverance. Over the years, through bouts of hard times in my life, one phrase that I’ve heard repeated to me, “God will never give us more than we can handle.” While this is Biblically true, and may give comfort to a few, it’s the LAST thing most people want to hear. 

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to study the book of Job. It’s not a widely studied book, but it is rich with testimony of one man. He believed in God. On all accounts he was very devout. He had wealth and abundance in every way. In a short span, he lost EVERYTHING. In the midst of his true suffering, both physical and emotional, he cried out to God and asked, “Why? Why me?” Instead of turning from God and saying, “To heck with you! You’ve done me no favors!” He ran to God and lamented. He LAMENTED. Over, and over, and over. He never lost faith. He knew that God would give him comfort and trusted that the comfort would come without knowing when or how. 

Our natural instinct is to run from God and try to fix everything ourselves. Then, at least, we still have our pride. However, pride isn’t something in which we should be placing our hope. 

Why turn to God? He alone has the answers to our problems, if we give Him the time, He shows us the way. He wants a relationship with us. Relationships are a two-way street, sharing how we feel with the other person. No marriage could survive on one person’s actions alone, for example. When we let God know our struggles, it opens up the opportunity to let Him heal our hearts, however great the wound. This can take days, months or even years. Perseverance takes time. When Job gave all his problems to God, and the end of his struggles, God blessed him greatly! God gave him all the wealth he had had previously, and MORE! Job credited everything to God. When we push through the trials with God, He leads us to a place of rejoicing (the good times) on the other side. It’s our reward! 

I’m dealing with teething and #mancolds over here, while my struggle seems rather silly, I honestly haven’t slept more than a few hours a night in the last 2 months. Psychologically, it’s getting to me. My plan? Work though this WITH God, because I know, on the other side, a solid night’s sleep will be my reward. Not sure when that will be, but I know it will come.  Until then, Jesus and coffee are my BFFs. 

Struggling? How can I pray for you? 

-Lauren