The challenges of life rarely come wrapped in neat packages one after the next. In fact, we’re often bombarded with many at the same time. When it rains, it pours and it seems like all we can do is hold on.
Certainly, we understand life comes with many hurdles and setbacks. And many seasons are just plain hard.
But what makes it even more difficult is when we have to face multiple hardships at the same time.
For instance, when we have to face uncertainty at work and at home, when our car breaks down the same time a loved one gets sick, or when our finances are spread thin just as we’re also struggling to build a new community.
We can take the hit and keep moving when it’s just one or two things we have to deal with. But it’s hard to keep going when life seems hard on every front.
Perspective and hope is needed during these times.
It’s true the thief of goodness likely wants to use this as an opportunity to take us out. We can become so overwhelmed that we no longer have the strength to fight the good fight. All our efforts no longer seem worth it and it seems better to just settle for whatever little happiness and pleasure we can get.
But, it’s also true, God is using this as a type of initiation – inviting us to trust him more and discover a renewed strength that comes through resting in his power.
It’s very easy to be taken out without the eyes to see and consider how God might be using our hardships to refine us and produce for us a greater weight of glory.
To be sure, seeing God at work doesn’t make our challenges any less intense. But it does give us hope and remind us our efforts are not wasted.
In the end, when it rains, bring an umbrella. But don’t give up pressing toward all the good God is inviting you into.
Photo by Nick Scheerbart on Unsplash
