Enduring and Overcoming Hardships
- Lori Joy
- Nov 18, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Dec 23, 2024
(The following is an updated rewrite of an original Lori Joy blog written and posted on July 24, 2021)
We all experience hardships, heartaches, loss, and trauma in this life to varying degrees. Some of us are blessed to be well equipped to handle those difficult moments with ease, and some of us find that those difficult moments just bring us to our knees, we struggle profoundly, and can even stumble over certain difficulties time and time again.
While I have had moments in my own life where God gave me the grace to handle the difficult things... there have also been many moments in my life where I was brought to my knees; and, in weakness and confusion, I would tearfully cry out to heaven asking, "Why God, Why?"
While I can not speak for everyone's experiences... I can speak for my own when I say that in every time of duress and hardship that brought me to my weakest and most vulnerable point, where all I could do is drop to my knees and ask God for help... In every instance God did, in time, answer the "why's," and He did help me through it all.
He did not always answer my prayers for help in the ways that I expected, and often those prayers took a long time to be answered. At times it also felt like God was not even there in the moment of my hardships. But of course he was there; but, it was only after I had overcome the hardship that my eyes would be opened to see all the many ways that God had intervened for me throughout those struggles.
I will briefly share a few instances of hardships that very nearly broke my spirit, but which God brought me through and amazingly used it to strengthen me and equip me to help others.
As a child I experienced sexual abuse from my step father; then as and adult I found myself in an abusive marriage that required police intervention to bring me out from that. In both of those instances they claimed to be Christian men, but their actions were very much NOT Christian, and caused a world of hurt that I never thought I would ever be able to overcome from. As well, I experienced rare complications in delivering my baby which very nearly killed me. It was only after leaving the abusive marriage that I would be diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and began a long road to recovery through much counseling and therapies to help reverse the negative PTSD effects and develop better coping strategies for it. I had made much progress and life was going much better until there was the sudden and unexpected death of my mother which triggered a re-occurrence of my PTSD. In the immediate aftermath of such tragedies, one can not help but question... “WHY GOD?!!!” and "Where are You God?!!!"... and you plead and beg saying, "This is more than I can bare God!"... "PLEASE Please... Help me God." Indeed these were my cries to God in every one of those situations I faced where I felt so utterly alone and defeated.
But... with each experience, I have come to learn that even in times when it seems like God is not there... He IS in fact there; and, He is busy working behind the scenes throughout those times of duress when our eyes are blinded to seeing how God is helping. I have learned that no matter how the circumstances may appear... what we need to do is stay the course. Yes pray for God's help, but never give up. Keep moving forward one day at a time, one moment at a time, one step at a time... in FAITH. When we are facing difficulties, we are strong when we take our burdens to God in prayer and leave it for Him to take care of. And we are strong when we trust God in spite of it all, that He will help you through it.
Now indeed there were moments when God used other people in my life to help me through as well. There was a small group of ladies from my church who encouraged me in those early years after leaving my abusive marriage. They too had been survivors of abuse, and God had brought them though, helped them to heal, and in time lead them to good men who would treat them with gentleness and love as the Bible says all men should treat their wives.
One of the things that God taught me through those ladies is that as Christians, we should endeavour to encourage one another always... and strive to lighten those burdens for others where we can.
We are not alone in our troubles... God IS with us!... and God can put people in our lives to help us through. I encourage you to be one of God's helpers whenever/wherever possible. Today I am going to do my best to be a help and an encouragement to all of you... while at the same time, and with the same words which I post here in this blog, I remind myself of the encouragement I have in God’s words and in His salvation through Jesus Christ.
First of all we need to understand that just because we are Christians, this does not mean that we will not have struggles in this life.
John 16:33 says:
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation: but, be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
BE OF GOOD CHEER... For many of us that seems a difficult thing to do... to be cheerful when life seems to be giving you a swift kick in the pants is not an easy thing for most of us... indeed it was not for me. Sometimes we can behave like little helpless children who cry, complain, and wail when trouble comes... we break down because we’re afraid. Some of us may sometimes even feel like maybe God has abandoned us, or that maybe he doesn’t care about us or love us anymore. I know I have felt that way at times too.
It can be helpful to remind ourselves of Romans 8:38-39 which says:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Yes God does love us and He won’t leave us or forsake us. As we mature in our faith, we come to have ever greater confidence in this. And then, we will quake in our boots far less often, until one day when we shall at last find that we are able to always stand strong and firm, never again to quake in our boots in fear; but, to instead be ever confident that God has got our back.
The secret to succeeding in this life and not allowing yourselves to be overcome by the troubles life can bring is…
PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is encouraged in James: 1:2-8 and James 5:10-11:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces PERSEVERANCE. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 5:10-11
“Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know we count as blessed those who have PERSEVERED. You have heard of Job’s PERSEVERANCE and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord IS full of compassion and mercy.”
Now while this perseverance which we are to have can take some time to develop to its fullest... we need to be mindful that the enemy knows our every weaknesses. Satan knows just how to push those buttons that cause us to falter, stumble, and struggle. But by the grace of God, we have help in those struggles. We are not alone... God is always there helping us through, and always trying to encourage us if we are willing to hear.
In Ephesians 6:10-15 we are encouraged by these words:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when that day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand... Stand firm then, with the belt of Truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of Righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.”
And still more encouragement is given us in Philippians 4:4-9:
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
"PUT IT INTO PRACTICE... AND THE GOD OF PEACE WILL BE WITH YOU".
Put it into practice...... We can come to church every Sunday and listen to the Pastor’s sermons, and attend every bible study offered... we can read our Bibles every day... but if we do not put into practice the words written in this book, then it is like the seeds planted among the thorns mentioned previously in Luke 8... the seed will not take root, it will not grow and strengthen, and the next storm will wash the seed away, and we will drown in the floodwaters of our troubles. We need to not only read and study scripture, but we also need to take head what is written in the Bible and apply it to our lives... use it to encourage and strengthen us.
Romans 15:4-5 says:
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,”
WHY DOES GOD LET US GO THROUGH HARDSHIP?
Some folks might ask, “Why does God let us go through hardship? Why doesn’t He just protect us from it and make the way easier for us?”
Well, we’ve already read from John 16:33 which says: “In this world you will have tribulation.” ...
However... Psalm 34:17-19 gives us comfort:
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
God leads us through it all and shows us the way out of the dark tunnel we sometimes have to travel through. This lesson of Endurance is clearly an important one. It is not always easy, but the experience of it does help us to mature and grow as we learn along the way how to stand against Satan. God is using life’s experiences to enable us to gain discipline and strength and confidence.
Hebrews 12:5-8 reads:
“And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.” Endure hardship as DISCIPLINE; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.”
Hebrews 12:11-13 says:
“No DISCIPLINE seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.”
Now, let's take a moment to take a closer look at what it is to overcome...
Definition: : “To Overcome”
To succeed in dealing with (a problem or difficulty)
To defeat/to prevail
Synonyms:
To prevail over; to get or bring under control; to conquer; to overpower; to triumph over; to outclass; to vanquish; to crush.
My friends please know that through Jesus we are already overcomers and conquerors, fully able, through our Lord Jesus, to triumph over the enemy who tries to destroy us. In Jesus we have the ability and authority to crush the head of the Serpent.
In conclusion are these words of Jesus from the book of John 16:33:
“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.”
You and I are blessed to have Jesus who has overcome the world so that we may have peace, even in the midst of troubled times. So... Be at Peace, Trust in our Lord, and paraphrasing from a section of 1 John 4:4 - know that "Greater is He who is in me, than he that is in the world!"
Praise God!
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