Just trying to make it through

Every day we face opportunities, obstacles, situations, circumstance and people. And many times we find ourselves “just trying to make it through”.

• If we can just get through this…
• If we can just make it to the other side…
• I’m just holdin’ on right now, but this will soon be over…
• This too shall pass…
• I just hope to live through all this…

These are sentiments and thoughts that I imagine many (if not all) of us have experienced at some time or another. And sometimes it seems like it takes all the grit, perseverance, hanging on and not giving up that we have just to take another step. So is there a way that we can make it through with more of our sanity and peace intact? Is it possible to get through situations without having them take all the wind out of our sails? In this post I would like to discuss a few things that will help you develop your “stick-to-it-iveness” and to discover joy, peace and happiness along the way.

First, I want us to consider the life that we have been given. God created us by His love in order that we might receive and live in His love. We have been given blessing upon blessing in our lives. We have the sun that rises on us and gives us good cheer and we have the rain that nourishes the ground beneath us. The Lord has provided food for our sustenance, a roof over our heads (most of the time) and clothing for our bodies. Beyond all this, God has given us the opportunity to laugh, rejoice, play, have fun, share, give, receive and so much more. In short, God has given us life and wants us to live that life to the full! Are you? Am I? Or am I caught up in the mundane or trivial, the urgent or dutiful things that I have allowed to distract me from really living? The first part of “getting through” is looking around and giving thanks for all that we already have been given.

Second, Let us consider why we are so miserable in the midst of this particular place or time in our lives. Is it because we are suffering so greatly? Perhaps. Or is it that we wish we were somewhere else, doing something else. Perhaps. But is it possible to be reminded of and celebrate the potential, the possibilities and the promise that are inherent in every day? Is it possible that in the middle of the suffering, trying and struggling places we can think on the things that are excellent and praiseworthy and thereby live ever reminded of the goodness of the Lord? Can we take everything we do and every place we are and every situation we are in and turn it into an opportunity to look for ways to bless and encourage others, to experience the fun, joy and peace of the present moment and also to give it all to God for His glory? I believe that we can do this. And so the second part of “getting through” is to actually look for the potential in the situation and to think on things that are excellent even in the midst of the chaos.

Lastly, I want us to realize that many times our attempts to just “get through” stem from our own distracted-ness, unsettled-ness, inner turmoil, self-esteem issues, guilt, shame and feelings of defeat. I know that in situations where the pain is extreme and our ability to endure is stretched to the limits sometimes the last thing we want to hear it “chin up! it’s going to be okay”. I want to share with you a reminder that God is more than able to handle all that you give to Him. If you let Him have the pain, He can work in the midst of it. If you let Him have your own inner turmoil, He can work in that. If you ask Him to handle what you can’t, He will. So whether our suffering is because of our own choices or the choices of others, God can handle it. God can take care of the external circumstances and can give us an unshakable hope and inner awareness of His joy, peace and presence.

So today, this week or in this season of your life that you are just trying to “get through”, please don’t give up. Keep walking on. Keep taking another step of faith. But also give thanks for the blessings in your life, think on the potential in the situation and ask God to handle the situation. Watch and be amazed as God not only sees you through but also brings you victory and overcoming that you weren’t sure was possible.

2 Corinthians 9:8 

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.