When the Going Gets Tough

Ever have those days...or weeks...or months when it seems as if nothing is going as it should? You're saving every penny you earn, yet it never seems to add up. You're looking as hard as you can for a job, but you're not what they're looking for. You're praying daily for leading on a decision but never find the answer. Whatever your Big Thing, it makes those days feel like weeks, weeks feel like months and months feel like years. I've been there. I'm there I'm right now. And even if a switch is flipped tomorrow and everything works out, I'll be there again someday. We all have and will experience times like these.  

 

If you're anything like me, your response is likely to give up too easily. I'd rather escape than face it. It's easier to plug in the headphones and drown out the world than it is to put yourself out there and have the world shut you down. Or maybe you're more like me on my better days. You stick it out, do everything you can to chip away at the Lumpy Mess of Unending Changlessness. But after two hours spent applying for two jobs, listening to a variety of Celtic tunes and drinking so much water and coffee that you could sail away...That lump is still just as big and you just feel tired. My point is that whatever version of me you are, sooner or later you're not going to be enough. You'll either run out of Amazon Prime movies or job postings and you'll be forced to face the reality of the Lumpy Mess: You. Can't. Do. Anything. To. Fix. It. What then? Well, I'm going to let the Negative Me and the Positive Me answer in their own words.

 

NEGATIVE ME (normal Michigan accent)

"What then?" Well, assuming I managed to actually take a break from "Doctor Who" and look at a couple of job postings...It's back to the world of Who for me. After all, it's such a nice change to see someone face a bad situation head-on and actually be clever enough to fix it and after forty-two minutes, everyone's safe (well...except for one or two. But they were dispensable. Unless it was the Ponds) and happy (except for when the Ponds were taken). On the whole, things are okay. I'd rather spend my time watching bad-turn-to-good than having to figure out how to change my own bad to good. After all, I've done all I can so there's nothing left to do but wait. In the meantime, might as well do something, right? So if you don't mind, I'm going to get back to the Doctor and my snacks.

 

POSTIVE ME (smooth, elegant British accent)

Excuse all of that negativity you just read! Those really are not the days of which I'm most proud. On my better days, I am actually inclined to a more positive attitude. After all, I managed quite a lot, didn't I? It may have been only two applications but that's two more than I had done, regardless of how tired it caused me to be. Thus, I feel it is appropriate to reward my hard work. I think a bowl of ice cream and a movie are fitting, wouldn't you say? So please excuse me. I must drown my discouragement -- I mean, reward my efforts.

 

See? Whichever version you are, you end up as a couch potato by the end of the day. And what does that get ya? Absolutely nothing. I propose that there is a better way to exist under the circumstances of the Lumpy Mess of Unending Changelessness.

 

I'm going to get right to it because I don't have the time to dance around the issue (Seriously, I have to leave in an hour). There is a better and more right way to handle life, even when it doesn't go our way: Hand-in-hand with Christ, relying on Him to be all we need. I say "even when" because as Believers, I think we find it easier to walk side-by-side with God when the road is smooth and straight. I know I do. But we're not talking smooth a straight,  we're talking choppy, winding, and unmarked. Like trying to find your seats at an outdoor music festival. After dark. Almost impossible and totally exhausting.

 

It's these frustrating and depressing times in life when we need the arms of Jesus most. And it's these times when I, at least, find it hardest to run to Him. What can He do that I can't? The truth is, everything. He can do everything that I can't do. He can provide just as much as I need exactly when I need it. He can take my hand and lead me even when I can't see the road ahead. He can give me the strength and courage and resourcefulness I require. All I gotta do is run to Him, make Him my refuge, my safe place. Let Him and His grace be enough for my Big Thing.

 

And that's all you have to do.

 

Psalm 91 is an amazing chapter full of little golden nuggets of wonderful truths about a Journey walked hand-in-hand with God. We can find rest in Him. He can rescue us, protect us. We have no reason to be afraid or to dread the darkness of this life. We don't have to be enslaved to sin because He holds us up and He gives us the victory. He gives us salvation and eternal life. He. Will. Be. With. Us.

 

How do we get this? We make Him our shelter, our refuge, our safe place. That means that when the going gets tough, we get going - straight to Him. We spend time daily seeking Him through His Word and through honest, heart-revealing prayer. We share with Him every detail of our lives, every desire of our hearts, our fears; we hold nothing back. And when running to Him becomes our default setting in hard times, we will find that He provides everything we need. And when we can't see how it's all going to work out, we still trust Him to be faithful. And when it doesn't work out how we would have chosen, we trust His plan.

Go read Psalm 91. What little golden nuggets stick out to you?