sometimes life is hard…

Life. Is. Hard. 

There I said it. Recently I have been working my way through a hard season and it has reminded me of my time spent with my Courtney. I spent much of the 22 years of her life just surviving the day. I look back and see God’s footprints all over my journey. I didn’t see them then, in the midst of the hard and the painful, but now it’s so clear. I am amazed at his faithfulness and the oceans and oceans of mercy and grace he extended me along the way. 

Sometimes life comes at you hard and fast, and we have little control over it. It’s a duck and cover scenario over and over again. Then there are the mistakes we make, the sins we commit that cause harm and we are left with the wreckage of our choices. Sometimes we are in a season of little rest and we have to lean into God’s grace for life to get done on a daily basis. Survival is a noble goal when you are deep in the trenches of pain  and hardship my friends. It’s OK to just do the next thing and keep putting one foot in front of the other, taking small breaths and not digging too deep because the emotional and spiritual exhaustion will overwhelm you. 

Life is a series of seasons and all of them have their own flavor and texture.  There are seasons where we are gold tested in the fire, being burned and purified or we are the branches on the vine being pruned. It hurts and there is not a lot of joy in those seasons. But there is a lot of GOD. 

Trust me friend. God is with you in the furnace and on that vine. He is with you in the exhaustion and confusion and the hurt and the pain. HE WILL NEVER ABANDON YOU! 

Trust that whatever season you find yourself in, you are not alone. Trust that whatever pain and hardship you experience, whatever joy and celebration, God will take it all and put it to work for your good and the good of the kingdom. 

Nothing is wasted! Ever! God redeems, restores, rebuilds and reclaims ALL of it!!  So hang in there and fight with all you have. Allow the Super Hero of Encouragement, The Holy Spirit, to walk with you, carry you, protect you, inspire and encourage you. You are not alone. 

Rom 8:28, Phil 4:13