Why Am I Going Through This?

Do you ever feel like you are doing everything you can and nothing seems to be falling into place? You work hard but there never seems to be enough money. You try to manage your time wisely but there never seems to be enough time to get everything done. You try to eat healthy but the drive thru is so much faster. I feel you. I have struggled with all of these things myself. I miss the commercial from back in the day that said, “Calgon take me away”. Sometimes I just want to get away and I do sometimes. However, I have found that getting away doesn’t make the issues of my life go away. I have also found that sometimes no matter how much scripture I read in a day, my problems don’t miraculously go away either. Sometimes we just have to go through. How depressing does that sound?

I remember reading a book to my children when they were little. It was the story of a mama bear and her cub and they were on an adventure. Along the way they came up against some obstacles that they could not get around. The mama bear would say, “We can’t go over, we can’t go under it and we can’t go around it, so we have to go through it.” She repeated this over and over again every time they faced a new challenge. By the end of the story they had overcome many obstacles and finally reached their end destination. We loved reading that story together. It always helped to remind me that in my Christian walk I will go through some things I don’t want to go through but my end destination is worth it.

I remember when my husband first took me hiking. I was not an outdoorsy girl back then and a day hiking was not my cup of tea. However to appease him I went. I pretended I was having fun but the bugs, the effort and my need for coffee needled at me the whole time. When we were finally done we were at the top of the most beautiful waterfall I had ever seen in person. We stood at the top looking down and a sense of accomplishment rose up in me. That moment and that view suddenly made the hike worth it. To this day I love to hike with my family. I never know what beautiful scene will be around the bend and many other rewarding things along the way. I have found it to be a good form of exercise, good bonding time with my family, fresh air and sunshine are nature’s prozac and the list goes on.

When I think of testing and unwelcome trials I also think of Job. He went through some terrible stuff and for me, unimaginable things. He didn’t ask for it. All he was doing was living his life for God. It was that very thing, his dedication to God, that landed him smack dab in the middle of the war between God and Satan. Satan was determined to find someone that would turn against God and God said, “have you seen my servant Job”. However if you read all the way to the end, Job stayed faithful, and he got double for his trouble.

Will you get double for you trouble? I don’t know. I do know, that the bible says, God rewards those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) When you are going through hard times, remember that is not the time to turn from God, blame God, or question God but that is the time to seek Him harder, stronger, longer and more intimately.

I remember one time when my husband and I were about to lose our home. I felt like I had done everything I could do. We tithed, we tightened up our expenses, we prayed faithfully, we were active members in our church, but still one hour to auction time we heard nothing. I remember well, I was putting laundry in the dryer, crying, questioning everything, and finally I said God, “How do I pray, what do I do?” He responded, “Pray for mercy”. In that moment I realized that it had been my fault and not God’s we were in that situation and the only way out was His mercy. Minutes later the call came through and the auction had been stopped. Our loan modification went through and we were once again humbled.

Your situation may not be your fault like Job or maybe it is like mine, but the only way to know and the only way to overcome is to continually seek God, press in and not give up. One day you will get your reward. And I bet when you do get your reward you will find yourself praising God and thanking Him for the test, because the view from your current position will be absolutely beautiful.

Not the top, but along the journey, some pretty amazing places to rest!