Frustrations and Fears

My eight-year-old, Madison, is usually pretty good about working through her subjects for school independently. This morning, however, was a different story. This morning, Language was her undoing. It wasn’t even that hard of an assignment, but she just couldn’t get it. The frustration came first, then the tears. As soon as I saw the tears, I knew she must be tired. She doesn’t cry that often and usually not over her school.

Matt saw her struggling and asked her to come and sit on his lap. He just held her while he continued working. When she had calmed down, I directed her to the table, where I had paint cards, paints, and paintbrushes set out. We changed up the schedule and got right to painting. Soon Madison was smiling at the table and painting. It wasn’t too long before I heard her giggling. I smiled because I knew she had made it past her crisis of the morning.

With this whole coronavirus deal, I think most of us feel how Madison felt this morning… simply at the end of our rope. We feel pushed past our limits, frustrated, and fearful. If you feel that way, I have good news for you. You’re not alone! Not only do I share those same feelings with you, but Paul totally understood what it felt like to endure hardships. He gives us some encouragement for going through hard times in I Corinthians.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. I Corinthians 10:13 MSG

Paul writes that God has three conditions for His testing and trials in our lives. It’s not just “anything goes.” He has three promises for us when going through a trial. Understanding these three promises help fortify us to stand strong and endure.

1. God promises there is nothing you can go through that somebody else hasn’t already been through.

Solomon says in Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun. Sometimes that’s frustrating because we want to be different. We want to feel like nobody has ever had it as bad as we have it, but that’s simply not the truth. We have to remind ourselves, somebody has already been through what I am going through.

That can give us incredible encouragement. When Satan tries to discourage you and whispers that you have it worse than anybody else, remind yourself that you don’t. If others have made it through this, then you can too.

A way to get the focus off of your problems is to focus on who you can help, even in the midst of your trial. Who else has it worse than you do right now? I promise, if you look hard enough, you can always find someone who has it worse. Focus on them. Focusing on others in the midst of your own pain is a sure way to be encouraged.

2. God promises you won’t be pushed past what you can handle.

This is so encouraging! God says He won’t let something happen to you that will absolutely crush you. Even though it may feel that way right now, this trial won’t destroy you. God has complete control of your life and circumstances, and he won’t allow that to happen. Paul, of all people, was the best person to hear this from. Paul endured many trials and hardships. If he said God won’t give you more than you can handle, he knows what he’s talking about.

So when you’re tempted to fold under the discouragement and helplessness you feel, when you want to crawl back into bed and not face the pressure and challenges of today, remember this — God has made you strong enough to get through this and whatever else is coming. God said he won’t allow you to be given more than you can handle, and you can take God at His Word. So push away those thoughts and remind yourself that you are strong in Christ.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 KJV

3. God promises He will walk through this trial with you.

Finally, in the midst of this trial, remember the most important point. God has promised His presence in your trial.

For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5 NLT

Even when it feels that God is the furthest away, know that He is with you. What about when it feels like He isn’t? That’s when faith steps in. It’s easy to forget that it takes faith to live this life. The same faith it took to put your trust in God to save you is the same faith you need to choose to believe He is still with you when you are in the midst of this trial. You have to choose to believe that He will see this through to the end of this.

Journaling Prompts

One of the best things we can do when going through a difficult season of life is to process our thoughts through journaling. I have created a journaling worksheet you can download for free HERE. This download includes a journaling worksheet and 12 verses to claim. I am a huge advocate of journaling! It helps so much to process what you are going through.

If you enjoyed this post, check out last week’s post- Can You Really Find Hope in a Crisis?