When life is full of trials, sometimes I just want to crawl into the fetal position with covers over my head. I’ll call my sister or a girlfriend and just vent. But, oh how I have learned God wants every part of us. He wants those cries. He wants to go through all circumstances with us to guide us and show us His hand.

This past week has been hard. I dealt with a challenge that could only be met with supplication to the Lord. I combed through the Psalms. Psalm 46 showed me that He was my refuge and my strength. But then in the next chapter the psalmist is already giving praise back to God. What a model: We should be praising God through the storm because He is good no matter the circumstance. What I have been slowly learning is to expect the hard. Life is hard. But we have Him by our side to hold us and guide our every step. 

I clung to this verse, Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

I literally meditated on these words as I couldn’t eat, sleep or hardly function for a solid weekend. Knowing God was in control comforted me so much. What I learned is that when I press on, it may not look like I want it to. We press on to the call of Christ and His will which is far greater than anything we could ever ask for or imagine.

When you go through life’s most difficult challenges, sometimes all you can do is meditate on one passage of Scripture and pray unceasingly. Invite friends into your hardship that will pray with you, not just vent with you. This has changed my life and my outlook. 

I may not know the outcome of my circumstance, but I know I can face anything with God. He has provided us with His indwelling Holy Spirit and when we cling to Him, we can rest assured we are cared for and can trust Him.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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.