I’m a planner, a list maker, an organizer. I love it when life fits into my little paradigm; a neat and tidy blueprint for how things should be. But more often than not life just does not want to cooperate. We face conflicts, sickness, interruptions and difficulties. People disappoint us and circumstances discourage us. What are we to do when life is messy?
Trust and Patient Endurance
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36 (NLT)
I don’t toss these words out flippantly. Trust and patient endurance can be a hard pill to swallow in the midst of trials. But I have found that, as the writer of Hebrews says, it is what we need.
In the past five months I have faced multiple physical problems. It began with a herniated disc. Several months and two steroid injections later it finally started to settle down. Then for reasons unknown I broke out in hives. In the middle of the hives episode I began having multiple migraines every week.
It is my choice in the midst of this trial to trust God and to have patient endurance through the pain. I will fight every day to keep writing, to keep serving my family and to continue to do God’s will.
Are you facing a circumstance that has stressed you beyond your abilities? Are you in a relationship that seems beyond your capacity to fix? This is the perfect opportunity to place your trust in God.
Commit
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:3 (KJV)
The Hebrew definition of established is: to be firm, be stable, to be directed aright, to be steadfast (moral sense). [i]
This is so comforting to me. I know that oftentimes I have thoughts and plans that I sincerely believe are God’s plans too. But as it says in Psalm 19:12 (NLT), “How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?” But when we commit our works unto the Lord He is the one who purifies our hearts and directs our steps.
Move Forward
The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger. Job 17:9 (NLT)
Facing a trial is like going out for a stroll and finding a mountain in your path. It is unexpected and daunting, and it can paralyze you with fear and anxiety. You feel unprepared and ill-equipped. I have learned that it is through one step, once choice, one task accomplished that mountains are moved. We need to face our situations realistically, acknowledge each challenge, each triumph and each adversity, and then be willing to ceaselessly move forward. It is then that we will find success even through our messy lives.
How do you define success in the midst of difficulty?
[i] Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius. “Hebrew Lexicon entry for Kuwn”. “The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon”.
Great advise, Angela!! I’ve found that those three steps have been what has gotten us through our big issues, too. The last one has been the final struggle, but also the most rewarding to overcome. I’ve had to allow God to reset all the tendancies I’d acquired in the middle of our third crisis in as many years by taking me through one small step of obedience at a time so I don’t surrender to feeling overwhelmed or stressed. As he’s done this I have started to feel more and more alive again and ready to take on more each day – on average, that is. Some days it’s “two steps back,” but overall I’m moving forward and that beats being stuck anyday.
Your comments made me feel like you really understood my heart Cally! I am writing what I am living – not always easy but it’s an adventure.