Defeated

Photo courtesy of prozac 1 at freedigitalphotos.net

 

    Are you going through a difficult situation? Have your circumstances spun out of your "control" and you don't know what the next step should be? Have people misjudged you based on their experiences, rather than on the facts that you are telling them? Have you lost friends because they couldn't understand what you were going through and chose to take it as a personal attack? Do you feel defeated some days and often hear people say "I don't know how you do it?". You are not alone.

photo courtesy of prozac1 at freedigitalphotography.net

     Sometimes life gets so hard. And sometimes there is so much to be done and not enough time, or energy, to do it.

  
     People are imperfect, and they will disappoint you and can never fill the void in your heart that is only meant for God to fill.

Photo courtesy of CNaene at freedigitalphotos.net

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)

     That is one of those verses you can read over and over when your circumstances are comfortable and think pleasant thoughts about ideals such as endurance and fortitude. But when you truly are feeling weak, or persecuted, or insulted, that's when it hits home and you wonder if you'll ever have Faith like Paul's.

     But my point is to encourage you, not discourage you! I just want you to understand I don't take this lightly, or speak to you from a lofty mountain top, while you mire down below. You'll be sure to find plenty of people who will be happy to advise you in your struggles, some of it helpful, some of it hurtful.

     I don't want to advise you how to get out of your struggles, and I understand that it isn't always possible to change your circumstances, or even to put on a happy face.

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." -Romans 12:14-16

     And maybe if you aren't going through a tough time, but you know someone who is you'll gain a new perspective from this. It is easier to talk than to listen-listen anyway. It's easier to blame than to comfort-comfort anyway. No one enjoys feeling like a "charity case" even if they are in desperate need of your charity.

      God always has a plan, and it will rarely look exactly like what you think it should.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."-2 Corinthians 1:3-5


That's the REAL point right there, isn't it? We have a choice to make when we face trials and hardships, will we let it knock off our rough edges and let God form us into a better person? Will we choose to turn around and help others because we can now truly understand what they are going through?

There is a prize at the end of life for the "good and faithful servant", but it's not because your life was lived just the right way, or because you always did the right thing, or because you were without sin. Your prize is because you endured through hardship, and you did not loose your Faith in God.

Photo courtesy of Serge Bertasius Photography at freedigitalphotos.net

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."  -Galatians 6:9-10


Linked up at Essential Fridays