Tho many hards roll in through no invitation or fault of our own, some are the direct result of choices we make; paths we choose. These decisions culminate in a season of difficulty and hard.

At the core of these hards runs a central theme: wandering. Wandering away from our Center. Taking our eyes off of Christ, letting our thoughts, and then our hearts, meander into fantasies of a better relationship, more eyes-on-me, or a glitzier life. We chase after the false securities of success, wealth, pleasure, and the accolades of the world. We become consumed with the needs of the flesh, ignoring the shriveling away of our spirit.

Enticed by whispers of temptation, we are vaguely aware of Him beckoning us back to His side. God’s sweet song of love over us (Psalm 32:7; 42:8) fades as we distance ourselves from His presence. As Aaron described the Israelites, “You know how prone these people are to evil” (Exodus 32:22), so we can describe ourselves. 

Or as the songwriter said, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.”

When we walk in the Light of Christ, our path is illuminated and our way is clear. But, walk away from that Light, and our path fades in darkness as we begin to stumble. Fear and anxiety creep in the back door and settle into our living space to mock and taunt us. Temptation knocks at every door and window. The veneer of glitter that pulled us in begins to peel off, unveiling the ugliness and reality of what we thought we wanted. What we thought was better. What turns out to be a lie.

So, how do we deal with a hard we have brought upon ourself? When we walked away from Him, did He turn His back on us? Did He throw up His hands at our unintentional wandering or blatant rebellion? Where is He? Now that we are living out the hard consequences of our own making, what can we do? 

1. Turn back to the Lord. 

Don’t wait one more minute. Don’t take one more step in the wrong direction. Don’t live one more second outside of His compassionate, protective love. Don’t sink one inch deeper in the mire of living outside of His will. He has not moved. He waits for our return. As we tilt our head, we hear Him still. He has never stopped wooing us.

2. Repent the action that took us from His side. 

This single step transforms our hard in a flash, because He wraps us in the light of forgiveness and love as we are reconciled to Him. We need not jump through hoops and prove our devotion to Him first. He sees our genuine remorse and rushes to our side, to gently walk us back to where we had been; and then, deeper still. 

Tho we serve a God of redemption, we often must walk through the consequences of our choices. But, even if the path remains rocky, we have His hand to keep us steady and strong and moving ahead, taking steps out of the hard. If the road remains hazardous for a time, even so we begin to reap the benefits of the fruit of His Spirit, as He is restored as the focal point of our heart. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galations 5:22) now swirl back into our life.

3. Learn. 

What are we avoiding that could help keep our focus on Jesus? Fellowship with believers? Prayer? Time to be in Word and to meditate on Him? 

What are we doing that pulls our attention away from Him? Busyness? Filling our minds with rubbish, through media, that feed ungodly desires and reactions? Chasing after illusions the world says are important and good? Keeping companionship that lures us away or mocks our resolve to follow God? 

We must bring every aspect of our life under the Lordship of Jesus and ask Him to open our eyes to what shields our heart from the fullness of Him. What stands between us and being satiated with His Light?

For in Christ, and the active pursuit of following Him daily, we find peace, even in a  self-made hard. Thus, we pray with the songwriter, “Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.”