Monday (12/1/2014)

Thought for the Day:

I know so many people who are struggling through hard times: People battling illness and terminal disease; Folks who are going through difficulties at work, at home, at school, or at church; Those who are mourning the loss of a loved one, the end of a relationship, or the loss of a job. 

Most of the time these struggles don’t make any sense to us.  “Why would God allow this to happen to me?”  There are no easy, satisfying answers.  Platitudes don’t cut it.  The advice and consolation that most people offer is merely an excessive amount of meaningless (and sometimes painful) words. They can’t make sense of it either, and in their nervousness they feel compelled to say something (many times just quiet companionship is the best we can offer). We rarely get an “ah ha” moment where it all becomes clear and we are at peace with our struggles because we have the answer we’ve been looking for.  Even if we got the answer; I don’t know if it would be satisfying or understandable to us.  I think that for most of what happens in our lives, the best we can do is just shrug it off and keep soldiering through.  Especially as we are going through these difficult events, it seems like we waste a lot of emotional energy trying to figure out “why” when there are no answers to be found.  Instead we should focus all of our energy and effort on solving, improving, or just getting through these tough times.

Os Hillman, in his devotional this morning, told of a difficult sixty-mile trek through the wilderness he once took.  He struggled at times to reach his destination, feeling like he didn’t have enough energy to even take another step.  Yet he persevered and made it.  Having arrived, he turned back around and surveyed the terrain he had traversed.  He was overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment and appreciation for what he had done.

“Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life as a result. When you begin to realize some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn't seem like it at the time, but He was.”

“Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, "Wow, look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley." Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.”  [Os Hillman, Today God Is First (TGIF) on-line devotional, 12/1/2014].

Whatever you face today…no matter whether it makes sense to you or not…even when you feel that you can’t take another step…remember these things.  Hold on to your faith and trust in God.  Believe that in His strength you can accomplish whatever it is you face.  It won’t necessarily be easy or pleasant, and most likely there will be some pain involved; but don’t stop and don’t give up.  Just focus on taking the next step in your journey.

Remember that the journey is always easier when it shared.  Having someone along for emotional, spiritual, or physical support can make such a difference.  Don’t be afraid to ask for the help that you need.  If you have a friend or family member going through a difficult time, offer to walk the trail with them, even if it is only for a short distance—you might be exactly what they needed to get through whatever they are facing today.