18plus: Some days just aren't very fun

22nd September 2011 by MORE

Have you ever had those mornings where you wake up and think to yourself, 'today is going to be a struggle'? Sometimes there seems to be too many of those days in the week. Praise God he invented coffee!

However, as horrible as these days may seem to face, they are just a struggle in the now. We will face many trials in our life that will take more than a cup of coffee to overcome.

Struggles of life

For me, the past 12 months have been the hardest of my life. I faced trials I naively thought I would never have to, and some valuable friendships were tested. When my faith was the strongest it has ever been, I found myself being constantly attacked by the enemy.

It was during this time that God began revealing a piece of Scripture to me on numerous occasions and it comes from John 10:10. The verse starts out by saying:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy …”

At first it felt like salt was being rubbed into the wound. The beginning of this verse was literally reflecting my life at the time. A “thief” was very present in my life. However, I took a step back and examined the entire verse that God had given to me, and began to see another one of God’s beautiful promises that are revealed time and time again to us in his Word.

“… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

When bad things happen in our world, we want answers. The world tries to find answers in alcohol, drugs, violence, sex – the list goes on. As Christians, we seek our answers from God and we ask for strength and understanding.

God’s promises

One of my favourite Bible verses, and one that holds a beautiful promise, is Jeremiah 29:11:

‘“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

We can find comfort in knowing that whatever lies ahead, we will be able to face it with God. He knows what we are capable of handling – after all, he did create us and he knows out limitations. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, we are told:

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it,” (The Message).

Never alone

During the time that I was writing this article I visited a Salvation Army corps for their Sunday morning meeting. During the service the song Never Once by Matt Redman was played and the chorus shot right to my heart. It says:

“Never once did we ever walk alone,
never once did you leave us on our own,
you are faithful, God, you are faithful.”

We will all face struggles in this life. It’s almost as certain as death and taxes. We need to remember that just because we are Christians, it does not mean we are immune to these trials. We are just as vulnerable as our workmates, the people on our footy team, or the stranger beside us on the train. BUT, we have the hope and assurance that Christ is beside us every single day – no matter what struggles we have to face.

This article was written by Nathalia Rickwood when completing work experience for the MORE website.

Comments

Katie

September 22, 2011 at 10:05pm

So true Nat! Someone told me today- "I've seen it all", and in a way that changed my thinking- so many people endure pain and trouble, and allow it to turn into lessons learned, perspectives changed and stronger appreciation for life. We'll get there too. Just have to trust the guide to this journey!
X Katie

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