Excerpt from the upcoming book “The Process” by Stephanie Mayberry.
We, like many Christians, have a heart for helping people. When we see people struggling our first instinct is to step in and help. But we’ve learned that sometimes people have to struggle.
Sometimes, the struggle is part of God’s plan for them.
Struggle is definitely part of the process, but the world view skews it so much! The world teaches us to view hard times and struggles as things that beat you down and make you bitter. It uses negative examples to prove its point – people in prison struggled, had a difficult life and look what happened to them!
We are programmed to avoid struggle at all cost, to make life as easy as possible.
But scripture tells us otherwise. When we choose to come out of the world and live for Jesus, it won’t be the carefree, easy life that many Christians believe.
We will have difficulties (John 16:33)
The world will hate us (John 15:18-27)
Narrow is the way (Matthew 7:13-14)
Our faith will be tested )James 1:3-4)
There is growth in the process. The struggle makes us stronger, smarter, wiser, tougher, more resilient.
Most of all though, it increases our faith! We learn not just that we can depend on God, but that we MUST depend on God. We learn that when it comes down to it, that is the ONLY sure thing there is.
BUT that doesn’t mean we are supposed to stay there! The good news is, the Bible is also FULL of promises that He will be there with us through those hard times.
We learn that
He will guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7)
He is with us and will strengthen, help, and uphold us (Isaiah 41:10)
He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)
The glory that will be revealed to us is greater than the suffering (Romans 8:18)
He has plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11-13)
He strengthens us (Philippians 4:13)
He is our stronghold (Psalm 9:9-10
He will make our path straight (Proverbs 3:6)
There is a common misconception that when we are going through difficulty that Jesus will swoop down and save us, make it all go away.
But how can you grow if you aren’t testing your faith and stretching yourself?
Body builders get to the size they are because they lift weights. Everyone knows that. But do you know WHY it works? When they lift those weights, the action creates what are essentially micro tears in the fiber of the muscle. The body then repairs that damage by fusing the fibers together. This makes the muscle BIGGER and STRONGER.
That muscle has to be damaged, broken down, in order to grow and get stronger!
No matter where you are in your walk with God, there will be struggle. Sometimes it’s to help you grow. Sometimes it’s to draw you closer to God. Sometimes it’s to take you out of the world, And how you work through it will determine how you come out of it – and who you are on the other side of it.
Learn to love the process, the struggle, because He is drawing you closer to Him and molding and shaping you into what He wants you to become to fulfill His purpose.
Feature Image: People photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com
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