Hards we face in life come in varying degrees: the searing storms that threaten to consume us, and “lesser hards” that, tho they are not as serious and intense, can be difficult to handle. Especially when they hang around for a prolonged period of time:
A clashing relationship with no resolution in sight.
No relief from chronic pain.
Praying for direction, but the heavens stand silent.
Working an underpaid, under-appreciated job.
Family tensions that grate on nerves and gatherings for years.
Financial stress no sooner conquered than another moves in.
Besetting sin.
After maneuvering many decades on this soil, there are some hard truths discovered about life:
Every wrong is not made right.
Sacrifices go unacknowledged and unappreciated.
Broken relationships do not all heal.
Things that irritate you may never change.
Life is not fair.
What is the point, Lord? Why can’t we be delivered from these persistent hards that beat us up and wear us out like hot, unrelenting winds sweeping across our lives? Why don’t You step in and fix this troubling situation or personality?
Contemplate the following reasons why God may allow these hards to linger:
Facing blustery headwinds keeps us off balance, which in turn, keeps our hand firmly gripping the hand of the Father who keeps us steady.
Persistent hards will loosen our stubborn thinking that others must interpret the world and respond as we do. They teach us to look past a behavior to the inner pain from which it springs.
Unrelenting issues are tremendous opportunities for spiritual growth. They keep us heading back to seek the Lord and His Word for answers and strength, as our ability to hear His voice becomes fine-tuned. The Spirit of God uses them to mold us more and more into the likeness of Christ.
Incessant difficulties cause us to lay down self, and put His work and others first. Oh how painful to learn that this journey with Jesus is not about our agendas, our lists, our needs, our wants; but, about loving and serving Him and others. This tugs and pulls at the root of selfishness that plagues our culture, screaming “Me first.”
Bumping up against people’s rough edges, keeps us sensitive to the hurts and needs of others; conscious to the plight of both neighbors and foreigners. Our knee-jerk responses become tempered with patience and empathy, and we experience a growing desire to reach out and help.
God uses these tenacious struggles to knock down protective walls we have built around ourselves. Our self-defense mechanisms cease, freeing us to come to the aid of a fellow sojourner because we have experienced similar pain and disillusions.
We walk more closely in the shadow of the Almighty rather than working so hard to cast our own shadow.
Growing in audacity, we face the ugliness of life, picking up banners to lead the fight against evil, instead of sticking our heads in the sand because we are oblivious or afraid. Ceasing the tireless licking of our own scrapes and irritations, releases our hands and hearts to help bind the deep wounds of those around us.
Our will is being conformed to His, rather than holding onto our will with a death-grip.
Ultimately, we are able to proclaim with Paul:
“…I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
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 12:8-10)
