Handling the Hardships of your Life
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Hardships of all kinds come to everyone in life.Few people can say that they have never experienced hardships of some kind.The problem is how to handle the hardships of life that are surely to come.The first thing to do is to:
Depend on God’s Presence In the Hardship
God is a very present help in trouble.We can never escape God’s presence.God is as much with us or more so in times of hardship and trouble.Some people are with you when things are going well, but are nowhere to be found when we are struggling through the mire of some hardship. He is no fair weather friend.Ask God what he wants you to do in the midst of the hardship.The hardest thing to do in a hardship is to find some good in the midst of it.In fact, God may have allowed the hardship to come upon you for some reason known only to him. Jeremiah says that God knows the plans that he has for us, for our good.and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. God can make good come out of trouble.
The second thing to do is:
Discover A Blessing from the Hardship
Every hardship has a blessing hidden in it. At 98 years old, I am going through the hardship of old age. I am shut in at home, hardly getting out of the house except for a doctor’s appointment. This experience is to be expected at my age, but it is still a hardship.But I have found many blessings through it.I have found time to write a couple of books,have two Facebook ministries, writing devotionals like this one, mentor on two sites counseling people with spiritual needs. Some have said that a good way to find blessings in times of hardship is to keep a gratitude journal in which you write down every blessing that you can think of. Another thing is every night, to thank God for at least one thing that happened that day. Finally, to handle your hardships
Draw Closer to God Through the Hardship
I am closer to God during this time of being a shut-in than I have ever been in my life. I do not have to bother about employment concerns like handling people on the job and other concerns of a full time job. As a shut-in I can draw closer to God. Finally, I heard the story of one woman who was bed-ridden with pain for quite awhile.One day God asked her if she was just willing to do just what he wanted her to do if it was lying in bed and enjoying a relationship with him.Finally, she committed herself to discover the comfort and strength that came from focusing her whole heart on the beauty he offered. This is an extreme example, but the hardships of life draw us closer to God.
This reminds me of a song which says: “ Just when I need him most, just when I need him most, Jesus is there to comfort and cheer. Just when I need him most.” These are some ways to handle the hardships of your life.
