Category Archives: Challenges & Difficulty

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December 11, 2014

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Promises, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Trusting God

THE BROKENHEARTED

Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know. …  I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. [Jeremiah 33:3,29:11 (GW)]

Be strong, all who wait with hope for the Lord, and let your heart be courageous. Psalm 21:24 (GW)

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Suicide has been on my mind lately: not my suicide, but that of others. After a life-long battle with mental illness, the son of a well-known pastor and author, shot himself. A young mother, terminally ill from brain cancer, publicly chose to determine the day and way of her death. A famed comedian, suffering from dementia and depression, hung himself. While in a dumpster, a young football player, suffering from disorientation and mood swings, ended his life with a gun. I cannot judge their actions; I can only pray for their survivors.

Last week, a young man from our church also took his life. Like many of us, he’d made some poor choices. He’d messed up and hurt the people he loved. Perhaps he was sick at heart and burdened with guilt, regret or embarrassment; perhaps he could face neither his past nor his future. I don’t know and I cannot judge his actions. I can, however, pray for his survivors.

The one thing all these people had in common was loss of hope. Pain, mental illness, disease, brain lesions, depression, dementia, guilt, regret and more had blinded them to hope. Christian hope is the knowledge that no matter what the circumstances, we’re being changed for the better. To do that, however, we must trust in God and his promises. Unfortunately, sometimes circumstances keep people from seeing God’s light in the darkness of their souls, believing God’s plan in the terribleness of their circumstances, accepting God’s love and forgiveness in repugnance at their own behavior, or thanking God for all things.

Sadly, these deaths were not isolated occurrences. Globally, every three seconds someone attempts to take his or her life and every suicide leaves behind six to eight survivors. The loss of a loved one to suicide is devastating; I wish could take away the survivors’ pain, but I can’t. As Christians, however, what we can do is offer hope: prayers, love, comfort and the support of our community.

What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face, knowing that nothing is a surprise to God. [Rick Warren]

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. [Psalm 34:18 (NLT)]

May God, the source of hope, fill you with joy and peace through your faith in him. Then you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 15:13 (GW)]

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December 1, 2014

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Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, God's Plan, Patience & Perseverance, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

ON A MISSION FROM GOD

Then Moses went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me? Ever since I came to Pharaoh as your spokesman, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!” [Exodus 5:22-23 (NLT)]

Sunday mornings, I take photographs for our church’s website. Last week, due to a cranky computer, only a handful of over 100 photos got edited, the day’s pics temporarily went AWOL, and my three editing programs eventually stopped working. In frustration, after hours of unsuccessful work, I gave up and tried to upload the few photos I’d managed to edit. That’s when I discovered my computer was on strike; there would be no uploading of anything from it! Panic set in and I resorted to what I usually do in such a situation: cry and complain.

Like Moses, I complained to God. If He wanted me to do this job, why was it so difficult? I then did what I should have done at first: asked for God’s blessing and guidance. “Lord, bless my work. If it’s your work as well, show me what I need to do to accomplish it.” After praying, it occurred to me that I didn’t have the only computer in the house! Duh! In fact, not only was my husband’s computer available, but I’d also installed a photo editing program on it several years ago. Using his laptop and my flash drive, I finished the editing in record time and uploaded all of the photos.

Moses was given a mission from God: get Pharaoh to free the Israelites and lead them to the Promised Land. Things weren’t going well; in fact, the situation had only gotten worse and Moses complained to God. After all, if we’re on a mission from God, shouldn’t it be trouble-free? Reading his complaint, I imagined what God was thinking. “Moses, you think this is tough? Just wait until you have Pharaoh’s army chase you into the sea, or you’ve had to provide food and water for over 600,000 men and their families, or listened to forty years of complaints before your task is done! Toughen up, big guy; you’ll encounter greater problems down the road. Trust me; I’ll never let you down. Don’t give up; you’re learning some valuable lessons that will help you in the future!”

Although God gives us tasks, He doesn’t promise they’ll be easy. It’s difficult to reconcile our problems with God’s assignments. As we struggle to achieve His work, however, we learn to depend on God and not ourselves. There’s nothing like a few obstacles to humble a prideful attitude. As He guides us through our difficulties and challenges, we become smarter, stronger and more determined. Moses’s early challenges prepared him for the trials of leading over half a million people as they walked forty years in the wilderness. Mine taught me about prayer, trust, perseverance, and backing up valuable computer files.

By the way, the next morning, my computer woke up in a far better mood. I had to do some minor clean up, delete some old files and back up others, but it is running smoothly again! Coincidence? I think not: more like a lesson from above.

“They’re not gonna catch us. We’re on a mission from God.” [Elwood to Jake in “The Blues Brothers”]

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. [James 1:2-4 (NLT)]

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November 7, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Obedience, Patience & Perseverance, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

CROSSING THE RIVER

Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don’t hang your head in shame. Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right. Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off the right way. [Proverbs 4:25-27 (GNT)]

Obey everything that I have commanded you today. Then you will be able to cross the river and occupy the land that you are about to enter. [Deuteronomy 11:8 (GNT)]

We’d been on horseback for a week and tent camping every night. The last day had been especially challenging with the toughest terrain we’d encountered. A novice rider, I was sore, tired and unsure of myself. The only thing that got me through it was the promise of a luxurious dude ranch at the end of the trail complete with indoor plumbing, a hot shower, clean clothes and a soft bed.

We finally crested the mountain and there, in the valley below, lay the promised ranch. Between us and the ranch, however, was a fast running river. I was frightened when we were told how high the water was, yet I knew there was no turning back. As we descended into the valley, the wrangler gave us explicit instructions. He would lead the way into the shallowest part of the river. We were to follow him exactly and hold steady if the horse began to swim. Above all, we were to keep our eyes looking straight ahead. If we looked down at the rushing water, we’d likely lose our balance and fall off the horse. As the water crept up over my boots, I grew nervous but I trusted our guide’s instructions; he hadn’t steered me wrong yet. I kept reminding myself that a prize awaited me on the other side of the river.

That wrangler’s advice holds true even when we’re not on horseback. Trust your guide and obey him. Plan your steps carefully, look straight ahead, maintain your balance and keep your eye on the goal. Instead of a ranch, however, we can look forward to fellowship with Christ in the Kingdom of God!

…the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above. [Philippians 3:13b-14 (GNT)]

Sovereign Lord, I know that you have shown me only the beginning of the great and wonderful things you are going to do. There is no god in heaven or on earth who can do the mighty things that you have done! Let me cross the Jordan River, Lord, and see the fertile land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon Mountains. [Deuteronomy 3:24-25 (GNT)]

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November 6, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Patience & Perseverance, Sharing Our Faith

BACK IN THE SADDLE

10-21-14 saddle-cropWEBIn every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. [Titus 2:7 (NCV)]

Only a half day into a week-long horseback trek across the Continental Divide, I already regretted doing it. On the spur of the moment, we had joined a group of hearty souls for a “once in a lifetime” adventure. Well, “once in a lifetime” quickly began looking like once too often for me. I was unprepared and inexperienced, the terrain was rough, the mountains steep, and my horse was ornery; there was no way I could survive the challenges of the journey. When the woman in front of me hit her head on a low hanging branch and fell off her horse, my first thought was, “Thank God! She’ll quit now; they’ll take her back to town and I can go with her.” After getting up and dusting herself off, however, she climbed right back onto her mount! It was her example that kept me on my horse for the rest of the day and on the expedition for the rest of the week; if she could do it, so could I!

Paul calls us to be good examples in our lives; after all, a preacher of good works must also be a doer of good works. Christians want to present a wise, patient, loving, faith-filled life to the world. I wonder, however, if this nearly perfect façade sometimes discourages others in their faith journey. They may feel too soiled and marred in comparison to people who appear to be so strong in their faith.

Christians can be good examples by sharing their difficulties and weaknesses as well as their good works. We all have had occasions when we were knocked to the ground. Our response to those personal struggles, be it a troubled past, abuse or addiction, or times of adversity, doubt and despair, can motivate and encourage others. It’s inspiring when one sees how another has picked herself up, wiped off the dirt, and gotten back into the saddle to keep going on her journey!

I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured. [Dean Acheson]

But in every way we show we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems. … We show we are servants of God by our pure lives, our understanding, patience, and kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by true love, by speaking the truth, and by God’s power. [2 Corinthians 6:4,6-7a (NCV)]

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September 24, 2014

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Word: The Bible, Nature

BRACE ROOTS

9-26-14corn-crop338-cropWEBOnce there was a man who went out to sow grain. … Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, beause the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. … The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it. But it does not sink deep into them, and they don’t last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.  [Matthew 13:3,5-6,20-21 (GNT)]

We’ve had several storms with high winds and yet the corn stands strong and tall in the fields. With such a thin stalk, I wondered how it could grow so high without being bent and battered by the severe weather. Looking down at the base of the stalk, I noticed several little roots growing into the soil. Corn has two sets of roots that can reach as deep as six to seven feet in the ground. The little roots above the ground are called brace roots. Not only do they help take up water and nutrients from the soil but they also provide support for the seven-foot 9-26-14brace root-cropWEBplant. Lack of enough brace roots might not harm corn in absolutely perfect growing conditions, but the plant won’t survive adverse conditions such as drought or high winds without them.

Seeing the corn’s brace roots reminded me of Jesus’ farming parable in Matthew. I thought about the seed that was unable to develop deep roots. Without deep roots, the seed couldn’t survive harsh conditions. It’s easy to be like that seed: we attend church more or less regularly and read a few devotions, but we don’t dig deep into God’s word to take in His strength. We’re fine as long as everything goes smoothly and the conditions are ideal. When adversity comes (and we all know it eventually will), we lose faith; there will be nothing to harvest because survival is impossible without strong roots. It’s not enough for us to simply hear God’s word; we need to absorb it into our lives and use it for spiritual nourishment and support. When we do that, like the corn, we’ll develop brace roots that will keep us standing tall and strong during the droughts and storms of life.

Since you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, live in union with him. Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving. [Colossians 2:6-7 (GNT)]

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September 14, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Peace of God, Prayer

GET SOME REST

9-15-14 REST53-cropWEBCrowds of people were coming and going so that Jesus and his followers did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a lonely place to get some rest.” [Mark 6:31(NCV)]

I read the above verse and walked over to my laptop; I had the perfect meditation to write. Then a voice told me, “Stop! Read the verse again!” As I did, I realized the verse was meant for me at that very moment. It wasn’t time to start writing; it was time to stop and spend time with Him. It was time to rest in His presence and so I did. Instead of writing, I took a much needed break. I took a long walk along a remote country road and savored His presence. Sometimes, we need to halt what we’re so busy doing and take the time to be taught and healed, loved and blessed, rested and restored.

Father, help us be diligent in our work for you but stop us when, instead of being productive, we are simply busy. Never let us forget the most important thing is to spend time with you.

Guide us in our daily life and remind us when it’s time to restrain our activities so we can spend quiet time resting at your side.

I will take care of my sheep and lead them to rest, declares the Almighty Lord. [Ezekiel 34:15 (NCV)]