Stillness can sometimes be scary when you come from a world that is fast paced. Silence can seem awkward when you come from a world that is full of noise. What if it was transposed, could you handle it? What happens if relationships go awry?
Storms brewing and lightening brisk can change transform the calming moment you just experienced putting you on the roller coaster ride of your life. Now, instead of that completeness you felt this morning, you are left feeling incomplete. The firm foundation you stood on is now shaky.
That is how my week has been. Change is scary and difficult, especially when you are faced with a past that seems to pull the old triggers. When you go and stand on a mountain top it is a great feeling. You are able to see for miles, the trees, the lakes, the rivers, the rocks and the valleys.
Struggling comes with warps, twists, cranks, creaks and scary surprises. The fear of the unknown is most troubling. Struggling to understand why I am not able to obtain what I desire the most.
Much like swimming in deep water where the bottom is hidden in the dark depths. We can try to do it on our own, swimming through murky waters, but we tire before the goal is reached. Even the best athletes cannot swim for long periods of time. Though they are tough and fit, eventually hunger, the bashing of waves, strong currents or the coldness of the water will tire us into despair. With a goal set in mind we believe we can reach it with no help, but soon find ourselves struggling to keep ourselves afloat.
One struggle I have always had is with family members, something life deals to everyone. It is helpful to talk about the struggles, gaining open and honest feedback. Remember, in asking you need to be comfortable with the answer you receive, even if the outcome is not what you anticipated. Sometimes inertia has us stuck at the top of a staircase. Like a Slinky, we need momentum to get started and then may slide down the stairs with ease until an obstacle hinders our path, and we stop. Given another push, though, we start going once again.
Struggling pushes us outside our comfort zone and we squirm. We are eager to encourage others who struggle, making them comfortable. What if the Spirit of God is in the process of shaping them, though? We all need to wrestle with our struggles, moving beyond our comfort zone of weakness and into a state of strength conditioning. Suppose our struggles are the momentum needed to push us towards Christ? Should our prayer be to move us out of that struggle? Is Christ not in the struggle with us? What if that struggle is what we need in our life, even though we do not want it, but it is part of the preparation for our next valley encounter?
We all struggle, Christians or not. In Luke 17 there were 10 lepers that came to Christ; only one came back and thanked Christ. Why? The other nine were too involved in religion to maintain the relationship with Christ. They hurried to show themselves to the priest, lost in the murky waters. Yet, one came back, thanked Christ and developed that relationship, drawing closer to the goal, receiving the guidance and helping hand that was offered.
Are we too hurried as we struggle that we forget those around us and fail at having a relationship? Do we struggle because the focus is our own agenda and forget the basics of life? We miss out on relationships when we wrestle to get out of our struggles and want the desired brass ring. Sometimes we are so focused on the gift of deliverance that we forget the one who delivered us.
We struggle when we do not have what others have. Maybe, someone sings better than you. Maybe, someone was promoted over you or received a gift that helped them to get out of debt. Maybe, you struggle at someone winning and you lost. We struggle over the things we do not have and maybe, this is a blessing in disguise. If we had these things and talents that got us these things, then can we depend upon the One who delivers us?
We struggle and often pray do not give us more than can we handle, relegating God to our confines of life. We do not understand what great power is available to us through Christ. When our focus is off the waves of life, and in our humility we can cry out, “save me” then our struggles become more than just wading through the water. We use the struggles to step up and walk on water. Why do we struggle? We struggle to realize we are human and we need someone Higher than us to gain the momentum of strength to overcome the worst.
What if we went through a struggle and through a bad mistake in the future, that struggle helped us to overcome our mistake? Where is our focus? What we want or what He wants? Do we want more of our stuff or His blessings? The key to struggling is the door of relationships. When we have the open door of communication, then struggles are only tools in building bridges to better relationships. How will you know that your life struggles has prepared you to save someone else’s life that could be dying?
When we think what we deserve is not always the best. When we try to do it on our own without help, then our struggles will remain, until we realize, there is more to us. Relationships are the key and we have to look at each other’s true colors. Then the colors can be used to color a rainbow of promises making us stronger, through our struggles. It takes light and rain to create a rainbow. Sometimes we have to go through the storms in order to create that rainbow. Fractured rainbows are rainbows that struggle to shine through the storm and knowing the goal is at the end.
By Faith (Forging Attitude In Trusting Him)
