Page 244 of 365.
On Breaking Through Hard Times.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times.
When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The “worst” is never the worst.
Why? Because the Master won’t ever walk out and fail to return.
If He works severely, He also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
in throwing roadblocks in the way.
-Lamentations 3: 27 - 33 (The Message).
They say, hard times make you stronger.
All i know is, hard times make me weary.
And bored.
Yes, the amount of hard times in my life is too damn high,
i even get bored with problems.
It's like my pheromone attracts problems instead of Jessica Jung of SNSD.
When i was a kid, i thought that being a 'grown-up Christian' is being free from problems, living happily ever after, and so on.
It's wrong.
Being a grown-up Christian means you're being responsible.
It means you're being hopeful.
It means you're relying on God.
It means total surrender to Him.
It means having more and bigger problems.
This passage on Lamentations bitch-slaps me.
Being hopeful is a good thing.
Going through hard times when you're young is a good thing.
I can hear you automatically responded, "Yeah, right. Suffering is a good thing."
I don't want to explain you why dealing with problems is good for us.
One thing i know: comfort is not the sign of growth.
Our first day of gym is not a beautiful memory but still we come for the second, third, and so on.
Why?
Because we focus on the result, and not the temporary pain.
Why don't we try to see problems the same way?
This passage even gives us practical things to do when you're going through a hard time:
1. Bow in prayer.
2. Don't ask questions - Yes, this is include the Why-do-i-have-to-go-through-this-and-my-friends-don't.
3. Wait for hope to appear. - Being actively waiting for hope, that means you don't procrastinate and waiting for miracles.
4. Don't run from trouble, take it full face.
Why?
Because our God is not a God of failure.
He is The God of victory.
He takes no delight in people's problems.
He has no pleasure in making life hard.
That's what we often miss.
We often say, "This trouble is from God. It's for my own good. I have to endure it."
NO!
I don't believe God sends us troubles to make us stronger.
Our problems are from our own mistake.
It's the fruit of sin.
And we have to be responsible of them.
And the good news is,
you never left alone.
You have God!
And that's more than enough.
(This note comes from 21 year old guy who is going through his hard times at the moment. Not with the love stuff, but with the real life stuff: family, finance, study, job, faith, and forgiveness. If he can still be hopeful, why can't you?)
I'll leave you here with one of my favorites' quote about hope:
You will live secure and full of hope; God will protect you and give you rest. -Job 11:18 (GNT).