Finding Hope In Tough Situations
Life throws you lemons – Make lemonade? We’ve all heard it, but living that statement – that’s another story entirely! Because those tough times can be really, really difficult!
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Sometimes, the “hard stuff” doesn’t seem to end but we feel like after a certain period of time it should have. When I get to that point, I start to question, “why?”
Why does everything seem to go wrong? Why can’t we just get a break? And why can’t we see God in the situation? Where is He? Does He care? Is it a game?
It’s so easy to slip into a very dark and dismal place – and it’s normal.
The Fight
Life throws unending stress, relentless pressure, loss, unbearable grief, lack of sleep, illness, natural disasters, and so much more, into the boiling pot and gives it a good stir.
And I fight back. At first, I fight with all the energy and skill of a seasoned warrior. But the fight is hard and the battle long and as time passes life continues to get in some good punches and I become weary.
The determined resolve and patience, energy and optimism, that I began with, have worn thin and have begun to fade into a faint memory of better days.
That’s when the blues hit hard and I see no way out of whatever tough situation I’m battling.
My Strength Won’t Get Me Through
Without option or hope, I finally realize I’ve done it again. I’ve faced life in my own strength, without thought of the Helping Hand, held out to me.
The ever-patient hand of Jesus, who is constantly there, walking beside me, silent.
He sees our struggle, He knows our pain, Psalm 58:6 says that He catches our tears in a bottle, His heart breaks for us as He watches, but He remains silent, waiting.
I so often ask, “Why are you silent, God?” “Don’t you care?” “Can’t You see the mountains we face; the heartbreak we carry?”
And I hear the unspoken answer resound quietly in my soul.
He Does Not Impose
He is silent because He is waiting for me to ask Him to help, to guide, to encourage, to comfort, to carry, to protect, and to advise.
Jesus is always with us, but He does not impose on us.
Instead, He gives us free will to do what we think best with our lives. While we fail and struggle along, in our own strength, He walks beside us waiting to answer as soon as we call.
But we have to call. We need to call.
So many times, I pick up the batten and run the race of life that I cannot finish alone.
None of us can.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31
Make The Tough Times Good
When we ask God to be there in every “hard thing” that life throws our way our perspective will be different and the “hard times” will be good times, as He uses them to work in our hearts.
At the same time, we will not be overwhelmed because, by His grace, He will carry us as He works, and there will be a beautiful picture in our mind of only one set of footprints in the sand. Read about how His strength is made perfect in our weakness.
And so, when tough times come, as hard and fast as a lemon flying through the air, we need to pause and ask God to help us deal with whatever the situation may be. We also need to rely on His strength and wisdom so that we don’t reach “burnt out”.
And then – Lemonade!
