When The Road Is Rough

Following Christ brings inexpressible joy to my heart, but at times the road is rough that leads heavenward. Of course God never promised to give us comfort and ease by becoming His children, but rather He promised that we would face persecution and hardships of various kinds. Oh, how easy it is to grow weary and lose heart when we take our eyes off of Christ and forget that our citizenship is in heaven. I long to press onward on the path God has placed me, but sometimes my heart is so weary, the way seems so hard, and God seems so far away. However, I must not listen to my feelings but remind my self of the truth and align my life with the cross.

The past year, I have been challenged to look at my life circumstances through the truth of God's Word. Whenever I am faced with a situation I do not wish to be in, God has challenged me to do four things.

First, rest in His will. So many times when I am facing challenging circumstances in my life, my first thought is to jump, flee, run, and do anything to get out of it; but that is not how we should respond. Rather we should remind ourselves that God is in control, He will not forsake us, He's the one who has brought the challenge into our lives, and He has a reason. Let us not let fears and discomfort rob us of the joy of resting in our Father's hands.

Second, rejoice in God's plan. As we rest in God's hands knowing that He is in charge of our lives, we should also respond to the challenges we face with rejoicing. We should rejoice that God is at work in our lives, that He is holding us, and leading us through our struggles. Let us turn our anxious, fearful hearts into rejoicing hearts that are trusting in God.

Third, remember the cross of Christ. When darkness and struggles cloud our view of God's love and care we must flee to the cross. Remember the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf and do not forget His wounds. He was crushed for our transgression, He bore God's wrath for our sin, and He poured Himself out to death that we might know true life. Let us draw near to the cross momentarily and find comfort and assurance in Christ who has made a way for us to have peace with God.

Fourth, reach out to others. Whenever we are struggling and facing difficult situations we should not separate ourselves from people, but rather reach out to others. What better way to take our eyes off of ourselves and our troubles than to help someone else who is struggling too. Not only will we be able to help others, but we will also find help from others. Let us reach out to others who are struggling and not wallow in our own problems.

Rest, rejoice, remember, and reach---four very important actions to remember when facing difficult circumstances---or any circumstances. As lovers of Christ, the road will be rough; but we are not walking this road by ourselves. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion who strengthens us daily and we should surround ourselves with fellow Believers who will walk beside us encouraging us on as we encourage them on. So let us press on heavenward and not grow weary, but fix our gaze upon Christ who awaits our arrival HOME.