Sometimes I feel like something is wrong with me. I might be struggling in a parenting battle with one of my kids. I can’t seem to have a creative breakthrough on a task. A friendship is not going quite how it should. All of us have situations like this throughout the day. It could even be a deeper issue such as battling depression and anxiety where you have nothing left in your tank. You don’t know where to turn. Maybe you lost your job and can barely make it financially. Life can be so hard.

As we battle our circumstances with all the strength that we have, we may scroll through social media or hear about others and believe something is wrong with us because someone else is not going through what we are. Instagram and Facebook have changed how we perceive our lives. It appears everyone should be taking a yearly exotic vacation or married with 1.5 kids and a dog. We have this expectation that the goal is to always be happy and that hardships are uncommon. 

But is that true? Here are just a few examples from the Bible.

• Noah was mocked for making an ark long before any rain was going to come.

• Sarah could not conceive a child.

• Joseph was sold as a slave by his brothers.

• Moses felt that he had no training to lead.

• Ruth was a widow and faced many years of strife.

• Daniel was thrown into a lion’s den for not worshiping other gods.

• Esther risked her life to save the Jewish nation.

“ But he said to me, ’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 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: 9-10 

So what happened in each of those stories?

• Noah and his family were prepared when the rain flooded the earth and brought two of each animal onto his vessel.

• In her old age, Sarah became pregnant and through her son Isaac, she and Abraham bore God’s covenant of establishing many nations.

• Joseph saved the nation of Egypt and modeled true forgiveness toward his brothers.

• Moses rescued the Israelites and after 40 years brought them to the promised land.

• God rewarded Ruth for her patience and she married Boaz and lived a full life.

• Daniel was not touched by a single lion in that den.

• God protected His people and saved the Jews, thanks to Esther’s bravery.

This is a verse to memorize and remember during the trial you are facing:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

John 16:33

Sometimes this is easy to see unfold. Maybe you can see God work quickly. But other times, it may take years or even professional counseling. So please do not hesitate to reach out to someone from Willowdale Chapel to help walk with you through your own journey of faith. Our church is equipped to support and direct you with the care you need. Our elder and deacon team is full of loving, caring people that are meant to minister. Let’s lean on those that God has appointed. 

I write these words to you not as though I have mastered them myself, but as a reminder to all of us that God is working through us for His perfect plan. We are part of His story and we may not understand all the details until we meet Him in heaven, but He has overcome the world. I hope we can find that peace together. 

ABOUT OUR BLOGGER 

Susan Veenema and her husband, Jeremy, love exploring Chester County with their two older biological daughters and three adopted children.

Susan has been in education for almost 20 years supporting children with disabilities and their families. She currently works at the Department of Education.

One of her greatest joys is leading Thursday night women's Bible study and her couples community group. People are her passion. She loves to read, write and study everything from history to social sciences to the early church. You'll always find her trusty German Shorthaired Pointer by her side.