Category Archives: Challenges & Difficulty

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

May 7, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, Prayer, Trusting God

Trusting Him

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. [1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT)]

Last week, I had a meltdown in the grocery store. I stood in an aisle and quietly cried. The tears had absolutely nothing to do with the frustration of not finding what I wanted in a strange store; they had everything to do with not trusting God. I’d made the mistake many of us Christians do of “talking the talk” but not “walking the walk.” I speak and write a great deal about trusting God but I’m nowhere near as good about giving up control and truly putting myself and those I care for into his loving hands!

Let me back up a bit. In the space of a few days, my husband went from the onset of symptoms to tests and diagnosis to a finding that surgery is necessary. Scheduled later today, the surgery is microscopic and the prognosis is excellent. Nevertheless, this puts a “monkey wrench” into our plans for the next month or so. As we left the doctor’s office last Thursday, we started planning and rescheduling and reorganizing our lives. We said all the right things about having faith and trusting God and even thanked Him for good medical care. But, I mistook acting calm and trusting for being calm and trusting. As I got busy rewriting our calendars and making new arrangements, I forgot the most important thing: prayer! Oh, I’d said my usual prayers and even added my husband to my prayer list but I hadn’t really talked with God about my fears and all of the “what ifs” that were racing around in the back of my mind. That’s what the tears were about in the middle of the store. I finally had to admit that while I could take charge of changing appointments on our calendar, I couldn’t take charge of my husband’s health and the future. I had to truly turn it all over to God and trust him fully with our tomorrows.

O Lord, thank you for the challenges of life and the lessons they bring. Forgive us when we act like we’re the ones in charge. We hand you all our worries and fears, trusting that you will enable us to handle whatever the future brings.

Perhaps what our Father would have us learn is that worry is not for Him to take away, but for us to give up. [From “Vital Signs” by Kathy Herman]

But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. [Psalm 31:14-15a (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

May 2, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Nature

Accepting Help

accepting helpListen to my pleading, Lord! Be merciful and send the help I need. [Psalm 27:7 (TLB)]

There it was, smack dab in the middle of the road: a Florida softshell turtle. Since softshells rarely leave the water except to bask in the sun at water’s edge, I think this one was on her way to dig a nest and drop her eggs. Unfortunately, every time a car came along, she tucked herself back into her shell. Just about the time she felt confident enough to stick out her neck, along would come another car and she’d retreat again into her shell. At that rate, I knew it was highly unlikely that she’d make it across the road before becoming road-kill. Florida softshells are big and can be aggressive; this one was about two feet long and probably weighed forty-five pounds. My concern was that, if I tried to pick her up, I’d end up dropping her before getting her to safety, especially if she got feisty about being carried. The best I could do was caution the oncoming cars to swerve around her. Fortunately, a landscaper stopped, reached in his truck to get a shovel, gently scooped her up, and carried her into the bushes.

What did I learn from all of this? First, if we ever want to get somewhere, we’ve got to stick out our necks. Second, sometimes we have to accept a little help to get where we need to go.

Lord, we are often more willing to offer a helping hand to others than to accept the hand that offers help to us. Please guide us to know when we are able tough it out on our own and when we need some aid. Keep us from hiding in shells to conceal our vulnerability. Don’t ever let us be too proud to ask for help; keep us from rebuffing assistance when it is offered. Thank you for the help you send that comes from friends and strangers.

Be brave enough to accept the help of others. [Melba Cosgrove]

Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall. [Proverbs 16:18 (TLB)]

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

April 5, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Prayer, Wisdom & Guidance

We Can Learn from Our Troubles

My brothers and sisters, be very happy when you are tested in different ways. You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything. [James 1:2-4 (GW)]

Lord, I’ve got a problem; I need your direction. Help me find the words I need; show me what I should do. As I pray, however, I realize that you’ve already answered me. You gave me what I need to know today in the lessons you taught me in the dark moments of yesterday. You taught me well and those experiences will guide me through this problem. Thank you, Lord, for the troubling and challenging times of my life. They have prepared and strengthened me for the trials of today and the tougher challenges of tomorrow. Thank you, God, for giving me guidance; may I be wise enough to follow your advice!

If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn’t find fault with them. [James 1:5 (GW)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 31, 2014

Posted under

Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Patience & Perseverance

How Much Longer, Lord?

God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles comes, but you will be patient. [Colossians 1:11 (NCV)]

Moses spent forty years shepherding sheep and then another forty years shepherding an unruly, ungrateful and (to use his words) “stiff-necked” people. Worse, a journey that could have taken about eleven days was extended to forty years because his people refused to enter the Promised Land when the opportunity first arose. Consider the monotony: forty years of setting up camp, breaking down camp, hearing the same complaints and settling the same arguments, not to mention eating the same food. Now, manna from Heaven is wonderful but forty years of it? How many times did he hear, “Are we there yet?” and, “Manna, again?” If anyone should have been disillusioned, frustrated, and incredibly weary, it was Moses. Yet, Moses hung in there! He is truly an example of not giving up when trouble comes.

Lord, how much longer? Sometimes it seems like no matter what I do, I just can’t seem to make progress. For every step forward, two steps are taken backward. It’s hard to remain enthusiastic when so little progress is made. Encourage me on my life’s journey. Don’t let me lose faith when things don’t go as planned and I have to take the roundabout route instead of the shortest way. Help me learn the lessons that are being taught as I travel the detours of life.

You must hold on, so you can do what God wants and receive what he has promised. [Hebrews 10:36 (NCV)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 30, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, Trusting God, Wisdom & Guidance

He Bails Us Out

When people’s steps follow the Lord, God is pleased with their way. If they stumble, they will not fall, because the Lord holds their hand. [Psalm 37:23-24 (NCV)]

A few seconds into my ascent of a steep Mayan pyramid, I realized I was going to be in trouble. Foolishly (and out of pride), I barged ahead. I knew the scramble up the steep rocks wouldn’t be the hard part for me; it would be the trip back down. I’m fearful of heights and the descent necessitated facing outward and seeing the steepness and height! I easily made it to the peak. The magnificent view took my breath away, not because of its beauty, but because of my fear of the return trip. As I neared the edge to make my descent, I felt the panic begin. I had gotten myself into this predicament but how was I ever going to get out of it? “One step at a time,” was His answer. God held my hand as I slowly sidestepped down the huge blocks of stone. Whenever I paused to look up to see how far I’d come or down to see how far I had to go, I would panic again. The pyramid seemed to get bigger and steeper with every step; I felt like I wasn’t getting any closer to the bottom. “Just keep going, you’ll get there eventually,” were the reassuring words I heard. So, I prayed, trusted God and took it one step at a time. I was okay, not happy, but okay. In fact, in spite of my fear, I found myself encouraging other hesitant climbers.

In our lives, we often charge ahead, knowing full well that we’re likely to end up in trouble. Over and over again, Lord, you have to bail us out of difficult situations. Thank you for being there; forgive us our foolishness when we should know better! Give us sense enough to recognize the difference between expanding our horizons and being fool-hardy or downright stupid! Thank you for holding our hands and guiding us back to safety, one step at a time. When we feel we’re not progressing, thank you, Lord, for making your presence known and urging us on. As you reassure us, thank you, Lord, for enabling us to encourage others we meet along the way.

See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. [Psalm 12:2 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 27, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Patience & Perseverance, Prayer

We Have Hope Because We Have Him!

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. [Romans 12:12 (NLT)]

Oh Lord, when we’re tempted to give up, please remind us instead to look up! Lift our eyes off our problems and up to you: our source of hope, strength and safety.

You can have hope without faith, but you cannot have faith without hope! [Randy Furco]