Memories

There are photos everywhere in my house. (Sure, there are many frames that still have the original “picture people” in them. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone my secrets. Ha! Most of my pictures are still digital and I admit that I’m challenged with indecision.

There. I said it.

So, I just left the picture people in and we just claim them as part of our family now.)

Back to the point of this post about having faith in hard times…

I love that I can glance just about anywhere and be reminded of good times since we usually only take pictures of the good stuff.

I also see so many pictures that show transitions: weddings, births, graduations, baptism, and then there are those photos with my Dad, who went to be with Jesus almost 5 years ago now. I admit that when I look at those pictures, sometimes, the sting of loss gets me again and I am reminded of hard times.

Life is full of transitions, good and bad, and most all of difficult times challenge us to grow in some way.

Ugh… growth.

Hard Times Promote Growth.

I mean, growing is a good thing but I’m reminded about the struggle that is usually the catapult to change.

The saying “hindsight is 20/20” is so true and sometimes we can’t see the purpose in the painful times of our journey because we are surrounded by all of the bad, unpleasant experiences everywhere we look. It is difficult to see beyond the storm.

Sometimes it takes the support of others looking in, to help us keep moving forward and that is okay. Thankful for support friends. We need each other!

Being a Mom is Hard!

As a mom, watching my kids struggle is total torture but I can also have faith in knowing that maturity and hopefully faith, will come from their personal experience.

I have watched my kids go through many changes over the years and I must admit that many of the transitions were not great experiences for ANY OF US!

However, as I was just reflecting on all of this, I thanked God.

Yes. You read that right. I thanked God.

Despite the pain, or maybe just to spite the devil, I dug my heels in and CHOSE to thank God in hard times.

On a side note…

Thanking and Trusting God in the middle of heartache is not easy. It’s FAITH.

If you are interested in reading more about my experience and how my faith grew during the loss of our firstborn son, you can read the series here.

Having faith in hard times is difficult but you can do it.

Through my life experiences, even in the torturous challenges, I have tried to proactively seek out reasons to be thankful. I will admit that it is easier said than done, especially in the moment of sorrow or pain.

It can be so difficult to switch your mindset from the pain you are experiencing to the exact opposite, without a doubt!

I want to help you with that now!

There are 5 steps to take when you are struggling to have faith in hard times.

Acknowledge the struggle, pray, and ask God to reveal an area of thankfulness that I can focus on in the midst of the pain. If I acknowledge the bad, I want to acknowledge the good too. I walk through some good memories.
Study and memorize faith-building scriptures, like the ones in this post. Hiding the word in our hearts is an incredible step we can take because when you need it most, the Holy Spirit will prompt it to come up for you. Post them around the house and in your car.
Put on worship music, close your eyes, dance or go for a walk, and let God take over. Hand it over to Him. Yes. Even though you may not feel like it, do it anyway.
Add to a thankfulness journal and move on.
It can be very helpful to talk to other support people about what you’re feeling. Reach out to a friend, mentor, pastor, counselor.

You can walk in genuine thankfulness through faith because you know that no matter what life throws at you, the Creator of the Universe loves you, His creation, enough to send you a Savior, His only son, to make restitution for your sin!!

Here are 12 scriptures to help you have faith in hard times.

There are so many other scriptures that help us to know that He is for us and not against us.

Sometimes it is hard to see the plan, but there is one.

When we are in pain, and suffering such heartache, it is hard for us to see that He has a plan bigger than anything we can possibly imagine and as long as our eyes stay focused on Him…

So yes, I am thankful for life transitions, for allowing us the free will to make the mistakes, the learning process, the hard times, and even the struggles. Not because of the pain, but because of the growth that it promotes, if we allow it to.

I am also thankful because more times than not, it calls my attention to how I have turned my eyes away from Him and it always leads me right back to where I belong.

Today, there is thankfulness, because I get to be a part of my adult children’s faith journeys and recognize that their hard times are part of my faith experience too.

Yep. I am growing too.

Just a little something to ponder …

I have not had to endure the pain that many have experienced. By some accounts, I have lived a fairly okay life.

With that being said, I have also known a lot of pain, hurt, and sadness along the way. I have had to overcome the challenge of insecurity and being a shy introvert in a world where extroverts are seemingly considered more of a norm. I have been bullied and made to feel, less than. I have suffered rejection from people I love and unfortunately, I have known many losses across my life so far.

But nothing that I have endured will ever come close to touching the vast amount of love God has for us all. As a parent, I only have a glimpse of that love in the way I love my kids. A glimpse. His love fully engulfs the innermost holes. His desire for us is stronger than I can imagine in my finite mind. His ability to comfort us in times of pain is completely unfathomable.

He can take the most broken parts of us and make them new again. We just have to earnestly seek Him. We can trust Him because He is faithful.

So, yes, even in the most difficult times, I go to the Comforter, hand it to Him, and know that my story isn’t over yet.

You may be interested in another way I switch my mindset to find thankfulness here!