When Life Is Difficult

I’ve recently met a few women that are going through some very hard things.

Not just 1 hard thing but several hard things, all at once.

They’re tired, and scared, and feel alone, even though they have wonderful communities of god fearing women around them.

I listened to those women pour out their frustration that God would even allow the hard things in the first place, and I sat patiently while they shared their fears of how it might all end.

An interesting thing began to happen to me though.

As I listened to them, my heart began to swell with joy…because I understood them.

You see, I understand the feeling of walking in the sunshine one minute and all of a sudden, out of no where, being overtaken by a torrential rain storm.

I understand the pain of watching everyone else go on with their “seemingly” perfect lives while I’m left feeling forgotten or unseen.

I understand the confusion that comes when trying to reconcile how the same God that allowed the hard things, is also the very same God who wants to walk with you through them.

I understand the fear as death inches closer to your door and you know that it will not only get in, but it will not leave empty handed.

Oh boy do I understand.

And when I share how the Lord has brought me through similar situations, with similar levels of heaviness and frequency, it never fails that their faces look a little less troubled.

Their shoulders relax a bit, a slight smile attempts to break through the frown, and the heavy tears turn into quiet whimpers.

Then I watch as the once sad frantic eyes that carried a world of sorrow, become wide with surprise and a look that says “wow, I’m not alone, He has not left me!”

My heart begins to swell with joy because not only do I understand, I’ve also seen the promises of the Father faithfully accompany me through many hard things and I am better because of it.

Life is hard, but this world is not our home and the hard things are tools that our loving Father uses to recalibrate our hearts to Him, so today as you go about your day, remember that we are promised eternity in a place of perfection that has no burdens.

No pain.

No hard things.

Rejoice in that!

We will be rewarded for how we walked through the hard things and those very hard things that you are going through or have gone through, they will be used to help lighten someone else’s load.