We all have them, seasons that just seem hard and days that seem to go on an extra twenty-four hours. We need a reprieve, we need our hearts, minds, and souls to rest, not to mention our physical bodies. We are losing heart because this thing, this illness whatever it is has been causing us sleepless nights, more stress than we feel we can handle and it is affecting everything we do. You are in the season of hard!

We have a few options when we are in this season, we can either sit down and just quit, throw our hands into the air and announce to the world, “I am done.” No matter what we turn our attention to a new set of problems pop up, or maybe you are in a season of illness. Every doctor’s report you get is worse than the last and you feel you just cannot hear another report, have another procedure and endure more pain. Should you just give in to the illness and let it run its course or keep fighting.

We have to make a decision, the line in the sand is drawn, what will we do. The world tells us to do one thing and our hearts scream another. When you become a child of God it is not a free pass from the heartaches and hurts of this world, as a matter of fact, we are promised them. 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.”
So how do we handle all that comes to us? Good question and down below you will find answers in these passages.

We are told in 2 Corinthian’s 4:16-5:1 “Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

First, we need to “not lose heart,” We are not fighting these battles alone and our sufferings however they come to us, have a purpose. And if we stay the course with Jesus, we are promised that although outwardly we may be a mess, inwardly we are being renewed. How can we be renewed?

Second, Trust in his plan, walk in faith hand in hand with the Lord, lean in and let his sweet Holy Spirit minister to us. Read his word, remind ourselves of his promises to us.

Third, remember that whatever is going on is a temporary thing. Everything for us eventually ceases. We will not be on this earth forever. One day our bodies will give way and we will step from this life into the next. Just think in most instances the thing that was troubling you six months ago has already passed. At the time it felt it would never end and now you are on the other side of it, I dare say wiser than when you went in.

Fourth, remember that this that is happening is achieving in you something eternal. You are being changed, whether you feel you are or not, it is happening. God is moving you, stretching your faith or letting things fall away that cloud our minds and hearts. I can assure you, when you come out on the other side you will think differently about it.

Fifth, we need to fix our eyes on the unseen, not what we see in the here and now. Let our minds find strength in knowing that God is with us, we are never alone. God has taken us to this point and he will take us through. There is more than just the here and now. We will move on into our eternal dwelling. At the time the Lord has appointed our last heartbeat we will go into our heavenly home, (if we belong to Jesus.) All the stuff that weighs us down now will not be remembered then. We can look forward with expectation to the release of the here and now into the there and with Him. What we have waiting is not something made by human hands if it was it would fail, but is instead made by divine hands. The same hands that stretched out the Universe have something beyond what our mind can conceive waiting on us. A better place devoid of hurt, illness etc.
Think on those things and your burden here and now will feel lighter.

Sixth, keep your faith strong, the same God who got you through the last storm of life, is the same God who will get you through this one.

I am sure there were many times when the Israelites thought they would never get to their promised land. They could see it on the other side of the river, yet that was too far for them. They had been given all they needed while in the wilderness to survive. God had supplied all their needs. And here they were staring at the river, longing to go over and there was only one thing to do…hold hands with faith, the same faith in God that had gotten them to this place; the same God who had provided their needs was waiting for them to do the next thing… every step of the way he was with them, even in their rebellion and he was leading them to a river, a flooded river what were they to do…what was the next step in their promised land journey? All they had to do was step into the, actually, their toes simply touched it and when they did the waters parted and they once again crossed over. This was the second time God had parted the waters. Read it for yourselves. (Joshua 3:14:18)
God had promised he would take them there, just like he promises us that we will never face anything alone and one day we will see him and be with him. When we are afraid or uncertain…just take the step of faith, toward God and he will meet you there.

We can trust his plan even in the hard places. He has promised to see us all the way to our heavenly home, this life is just a vapor, full of temporary hardships, all working a greater good in us. So, don’t lose heart, this same God who breathed life into you, will help you pass through it and then onto the next better thing.