#thestruggleisreal is a pretty popular hashtag. Mostly it seems to be used for silly,maybe slightly frustrating situations, or just as a joke.
But for those who are struggling, truly struggling, it is anything but a joke. "The Struggle" is not something to be taken lightly.
Now, I do have a sense of humor, so before any gets upset with me, I do get it. Sometimes its funny to make fun of yourself and your ridiculous "problems".
But what if you have a real problem? What if everyday is a battle of survival? Whether it's physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or all of the above, all of us are fighting battles, often secretly, and sometimes things get scary.
I attended a class once on dealing with emotions, and someone said that while we often feel alone, the truth is that everyone is either coming to a crisis, going through a crisis, or coming out of a crisis.
That was a powerful image for me....really changes how you see others and yourself.
Personally, I've come to see that my "flare ups" or set backs have been the times where God has done the most work on me and big changes happen, very often delivering a better-than-I-could-ever-have-imagined outcome. The changes are painful. The process can be heart wrenchingly slow, or mind-blowingly fast; neither is comfortable.
I am much more stable now than I used to be emotionally and mentally, and definitely spiritually, but there are still fluctuations and cycles and seasons...I'm still riding the rollercoaster of life.
Sometimes, when I'm going through a hard time, it's very difficult not to get stuck in the "this always happens, no matter what, I'll never get better, nothing seems to stick" mindset. The inward, downward spiral I've mentioned many times before. And do you know why? Because Satan is fighting for you. He is fighting for your soul. I have learned to take comfort in the fierceness of the battle, because it means he has to fight hard for me; I am not an easy win. Even more comforting is the knowledge that I have already been won by my dear Saviour Jesus; I can never belong to another now or for all eternity.
The Struggle is between good and evil, and the Bible tells us all about it. The Bible tells Christians to expect to struggle even, so we should not be surprised when we feel Satan come knocking at the door of our heart.
The Bible is full of the promises of God to His people. He loves you, He will never let you go. "He who promised is faithful" and "will complete the good work begun in you." (Heb. 10:23, Phil. 1:6)
I have things that I wish I could just get over...burdens I think I have left at the cross, only to find that I'm once again struggling under their weight. I am much stronger than I used to be and I'm learning to give things to God and to recognize when my brain is trying to connect the dots between things and give me a false reality. But it still happens.
I struggle with fears about my physical health, about being a good mother, about thinking too much(yes, I obsess about thinking too much..), and about whether or not I am doing what God wants me to be doing.
But as long as we keep coming back to God and His promises, we are winning. Even if every day brings a war in our hearts and minds and we feel broken and afraid, we are not a failure if we can just bring it all to God and say "I'm afraid and I can't fix this, but You can. I don't know Your Plan but I trust that You have one and it is for my ultimate good. Help me to rest in that truth." We are not lost if we can lose ourselves in prayer.
He knows our sins and our weakness. He knew that this hard time was coming and He knows what the end result will be.
We get too caught up in the Now. He knows our Tomorrows.
If we could see what He can see, things would perhaps make more sense, but we would have no need for faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb.11:1)
God is glorified when we can lay down our efforts and admit that we can't do it ourselves; admitting we can't do it does not make us a failure. "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James4:6)
He wants us to rest in Him alone. And He will bless that.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)
And do not forget either that Jesus himself struggled in His humanity. He was tired, thirsty, hungry, weary, sad, and his heart ached. But His love was greater than all the suffering. He rose from the grave a conquering hero, King of Kings and LORD of Lords.
"And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." (John1:16)
"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Romans 8:37)
"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing."
(James 1:3-4)
~For King and Country- It's Not Over Yet~
~Danny Gokey- Rise~
But for those who are struggling, truly struggling, it is anything but a joke. "The Struggle" is not something to be taken lightly.
Now, I do have a sense of humor, so before any gets upset with me, I do get it. Sometimes its funny to make fun of yourself and your ridiculous "problems".
But what if you have a real problem? What if everyday is a battle of survival? Whether it's physical, mental, emotional, spiritual or all of the above, all of us are fighting battles, often secretly, and sometimes things get scary.
I attended a class once on dealing with emotions, and someone said that while we often feel alone, the truth is that everyone is either coming to a crisis, going through a crisis, or coming out of a crisis.
That was a powerful image for me....really changes how you see others and yourself.
Personally, I've come to see that my "flare ups" or set backs have been the times where God has done the most work on me and big changes happen, very often delivering a better-than-I-could-ever-have-imagined outcome. The changes are painful. The process can be heart wrenchingly slow, or mind-blowingly fast; neither is comfortable.
I am much more stable now than I used to be emotionally and mentally, and definitely spiritually, but there are still fluctuations and cycles and seasons...I'm still riding the rollercoaster of life.
Sometimes, when I'm going through a hard time, it's very difficult not to get stuck in the "this always happens, no matter what, I'll never get better, nothing seems to stick" mindset. The inward, downward spiral I've mentioned many times before. And do you know why? Because Satan is fighting for you. He is fighting for your soul. I have learned to take comfort in the fierceness of the battle, because it means he has to fight hard for me; I am not an easy win. Even more comforting is the knowledge that I have already been won by my dear Saviour Jesus; I can never belong to another now or for all eternity.
The Struggle is between good and evil, and the Bible tells us all about it. The Bible tells Christians to expect to struggle even, so we should not be surprised when we feel Satan come knocking at the door of our heart.
The Bible is full of the promises of God to His people. He loves you, He will never let you go. "He who promised is faithful" and "will complete the good work begun in you." (Heb. 10:23, Phil. 1:6)
I have things that I wish I could just get over...burdens I think I have left at the cross, only to find that I'm once again struggling under their weight. I am much stronger than I used to be and I'm learning to give things to God and to recognize when my brain is trying to connect the dots between things and give me a false reality. But it still happens.
I struggle with fears about my physical health, about being a good mother, about thinking too much(yes, I obsess about thinking too much..), and about whether or not I am doing what God wants me to be doing.
But as long as we keep coming back to God and His promises, we are winning. Even if every day brings a war in our hearts and minds and we feel broken and afraid, we are not a failure if we can just bring it all to God and say "I'm afraid and I can't fix this, but You can. I don't know Your Plan but I trust that You have one and it is for my ultimate good. Help me to rest in that truth." We are not lost if we can lose ourselves in prayer.
He knows our sins and our weakness. He knew that this hard time was coming and He knows what the end result will be.
We get too caught up in the Now. He knows our Tomorrows.
If we could see what He can see, things would perhaps make more sense, but we would have no need for faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Heb.11:1)
God is glorified when we can lay down our efforts and admit that we can't do it ourselves; admitting we can't do it does not make us a failure. "But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James4:6)
He wants us to rest in Him alone. And He will bless that.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)
And do not forget either that Jesus himself struggled in His humanity. He was tired, thirsty, hungry, weary, sad, and his heart ached. But His love was greater than all the suffering. He rose from the grave a conquering hero, King of Kings and LORD of Lords.
"And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace." (John1:16)
"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Romans 8:37)
"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing."
(James 1:3-4)
~For King and Country- It's Not Over Yet~
~Danny Gokey- Rise~
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