If I could pass one nugget on to the next generation, it would be this. "Embrace the hard things." The generation before us said "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." They were right.
We have a culture that is increasingly accustomed to smooth waters and easy access to what we want and need. Still, if we live long enough... there where be rough waters and storms.
What if the first hard thing we face was the biggest trial of our lives? We would crumble. Everyone needs a little training ground. Every hard day is practice for that big thing that will eventually come.
Satan is alive and well. Evil exists. Bad things happen to good people, including those who love the Lord.. It comes with living in a fallen world. We are not exempt by our social status, by the degrees behind our name or by the number of good things we have done. God is good, but life can be hard.
I love this movie quote:
"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." - A League of Their Own
When we make it through the hard things, we grow more resilient. We learn to trust the Lord with all of our hearts and not lean on what we think we know. In the end, it isn't about what we know... it is about WHO we know.
He promises to be with us on the mountain... and in the valleys. He is with us when it looks like there is a night in the lion's den ahead or a fiery furnace. Our God is present. He is with us in the trials and as we train our heart and minds to look to Him for all of our needs.
I don't love going through the hard things, but I know they work together for His glory.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. -Romans 8:28
Today, I am grateful for hard things.
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