My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
We all have struggles and weaknesses in this imperfect world. There is no way around them. Each person deals with these difficulties differently. Do you turn to the Lord or do you push against Him? For me, God's word is sometimes the only thing I have to give me hope. I'll be totally honest and say I have been very weak lately. My health has been dwindling for awhile now and it is scary. No matter how hard I try and fight it doesn't seem like enough. The only place I can turn to for encouragement is the Bible. I know I have grown so much in the Word since first being diagnosed with Graves Disease, and for that I am thankful. It is crazy to think that some need struggles in their life to make them focus on the Lord. I have always been a believer but I hadn't been one to really study the Word. As my health continues to spiral down I often wonder why? Why God can you not help me get better? We have been attending a new church and I find myself hanging on to so much that is said. One Sunday they showed a video of some of the church's youth kids and they were talking about things that were important to them. I won't forget that one of the girls said that she welcomed brokenness, so she could get to know the Lord better and become closer to Him. Wow! Those words coming from a young girl were so powerful! I can't say I have ever looked forward to difficulties in my life. I want things to go smoothly and easily... who doesn't? But then who will really grow in Christ? Hardships are like a test; do we get mad at God and turn our backs on Him for allowing such awful things to happen to us or loved ones, or do we choose it to be a learning experience and hold on to the hope of His promise that better things are coming, that He is here for us and loving us through the entire journey?
Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5
It is so hard to rejoice during times of suffering, but I know there is so much growth that is happening because of it. I am working on focusing on the hope. The hope keeps me going.
What helps you get through struggles in your life?
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