As I write this, I am sitting in a hospital waiting area, where my wife is having follow-up reconstructive surgery from her cancer surgery six months ago. As a family, the last several months have been pretty rough. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, my teenager has been going through some deep issues, and my younger son has become the target of severe bullying and teasing at school.
I once heard a pastor say “You are either in the storm, coming out of the storm, or about to go into the storm.” I think it is safe to say my family is currently in the storm.
Sometimes it is hard to be positive. Sometimes you are just so overwhelmed, or the storm lasts for so long, that you wonder if it is ever going to end, and your mind can be flooded with questions like:
- Why is this happening?
- How will I survive this?
- How can any good come from this?
There Is Hope!
Being a good person does not mean that your life will always be full of sunshine and rainbows. In times like these, I turn to my faith for support. It is not always easy, but sometimes that is all you can do. I look to the bible and read stories of hardships and perseverance, and how God is always faithful in carrying people through tough times. The bible tells us there will be storms. But it also offers us encouragement, and strength, and hope.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
James 1:2-3 ESV
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:10 ESV
More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope
Romans 5:3-4 ESV
Even If It Is Your Own Fault
Sometimes the problems we have are because of our own doing. We all make mistakes. Our words, our actions, our decisions all have consequences. Even if you created the storm you are going through, remember this: Jesus cares more about you than the mess you’ve made.
Don’t Go It Alone
As men, we all tend to try to tough it out and carry our burden alone. It’s as though asking for help seems to be some sort of weakness. This simply is not true. In fact, I believe the opposite. It takes strength and courage to ask for help.
“The tests of life are not to break you but to make you.”
Norman Vincent Peale
There will be hard times. There will be storms In Life. But you will get through them. Have faith. It is all going to work out. Just pray and look for the good.
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