You’ve got this! No matter what you are facing today – be it finals or long days, lack of direction or difficult coworkers. These struggles and trials will refine and strengthen you, if you let them.
Sometimes little things in life can annoy us. Having to run back into the grocery store for one more item, helping a last minute customer before closing, or finding one more mess your toddler made. Petty things can sometimes be the most challenging!
But what if, instead of letting it get us down, instead of letting the annoyance creep in, we just put our shoulders back and went at it? I believe when we address inconveniences in this way it strengthens us for larger trials that come our way!
You’ll Be Fine
It’s kind of a joke, though it’s not a joke because I’m serious, but when I work with younger folks and I ask them to do take care of this or that – cleaning their room, doing their job, etc – and they droop their shoulders a bit, I always reassure them, “you’ll be fine”.
Am I being hard-hearted or cruel? Not at all. To be honest, I tell myself the same thing when petty things get me down. “You’ll be fine” is a bit of a mantra with me! Yes, it is said half in jest, but also because it’s true. We have responsibilities and opportunities and we need to develop a spine to address them.
The sooner in life you develop thick skin and a sturdy attitude, the better! You will be tested your whole life and how much better to learn how to deal with it when you are young.
And with God by your side and a prayer on your lips you can be sure He will equip and help you! It is because of Him that you can be certain that you’ve got this!
Nobody Cares
I know it sounds terribly harsh and cold, but often you will find that nobody cares about the trials you face. Surely a close friend or your parents likely will, but outside of a very tight circle, everyone else is wrapped up in their own life and trials.
And maybe it’s not so much that they don’t care, it’s just that they aren’t in the middle of it like you are. They don’t get the entire story so they don’t get the struggle.
But truly, it kind of helps as you grow and press on that nobody really cares. It helps us let go of things and not make such a big deal of them. It helps us develop grace and forgiveness. We learn how to press on rather than harp on the past.
And though folks at large probably don’t care or even know the trial you are facing, you can be sure God does. He knows our hearts and He cares deeply. But He doesn’t want us to shut down in our trials, He wants us to mount up with wings like eagles! He wants us to gather strength from Him and press on to higher things!
You’ve Got This!
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!
These aren’t just words, they are truth and remind us that God made us to be strong through His strength! I went through a particularly rough time not too long ago and every day when I woke up, I quoted these words out loud. Everyday I wrote my schedule, these words were at the top of my page. And they truly fueled me! It is incredible the power and strength that God gives us if we will just take hold of it!
A few weeks back, I had to do a particularly unpleasant task. I was not anticipating it, but like I’m encouraging you to do, I do my best to step up boldly and confidently. And as I did, that reference popped into my mind – so the entire time I’m quoting it and claiming it, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!”.
I loved that that was what my reaction to an undesirable task and I am certain that I couldn’t have completed the task if I hadn’t encouraged myself with that verse! No, I wasn’t fighting a war or doing something terrifyingly dangerous. But I can assure you as a business owner, people can leave messes behind that are not pleasant to take care of!
Do You Have What It Takes?
Last night while reading, I came across a particularly inspiring paragraph:
“When the good Lord wants to give you some great value, how does He go about doing it? Does He wrap it up in an exotic package and hand it to you on a silver platter? Hardly. He is too subtle, too sophisticated for that. His method is much more adroit. He often buries that great value at the heart of a big, difficult problem. And how He must watch with delight to see if you have what it takes to break that problem apart and find at its heart, if you please, the pearl of great price.”
May we grow stronger each day and develop what it takes to please Him!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. One of my favorite authors: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2023/03/08/norman-vincent-peale/