Matt showed me a video this week on Youtube from the Women’s basketball coach at Duke. It’s been labeled Handle Hard Better. It’s a great quick video that all of us can learn from. Take a quick minute to watch it; it’s worth the time.
The simple fact of the matter is that life is hard. It’s never going to get easier. Instead, we have to learn how to bear up under that hard, handle the hard better. The better we handle the hard we’re dealing with now, the better we make it for the next thing we have to deal with.
Life Doesn’t Get Easier
Matt has a saying. “Life doesn’t get easier, but it gets better.” I don’t know that there ever comes a point and time in life when we say, “Wow. This is so easy right now.” School is hard. College is grueling. Having babies is exhausting. Raising children is no joke. Preparing teens for life is not for the faint of heart. Building a career is no easy feat. Choosing to stay married requires love and sacrifice. On and on the list goes. Life never gets easier, but it can get better. Why?” Because we learn how to handle life as it comes our way.
We can choose to live under our circumstances and let them crush the life and joy out of us, or we can choose to live above our circumstances. I like to think of it this way. We can choose to be a Tigger or an Eeyore. Except for Eeyore’s tail that always fell off, Tigger and Eeyore faced the same daily problems. But Tigger faced them with zeal and excitement, whereas Eeyore faced them with dread and depression.
We can’t choose our circumstances, but we can choose our response every time. We have to find joy even in the midst of bad circumstances. If we give ourselves permission to live without joy, to be depressed and discouraged, hopeless and defeated every time we face a hardship, our entire life is going to be like that. Because let’s face it. Life is hard! But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can find joy, no matter the circumtances. But it’s our job to find the joy, even in the midst of life’s hard.
Choosing to Find Joy
Shauna Niequist says in her book, I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet, that we are responsible to find joy. It doesn’t necessarily just come bubbling up. No, we have to chase it down; we have to choose to find it.
We also put ourselves in the path of joy, and sometimes, frankly, it takes a little muscle. I no longer wait for joy to rise up unbidden. I put myself in her path every chance I get, and extending myself in that direction delivers me to gratitude, to hope, to a cascade of things that tumble out after joy but don’t show up without a little effort on our part.
Shauna Niequist
Choose today to bear up under whatever hard it is you are facing. Choose to find joy. Learn to build some “muscle” with what you’re going through. If you do, it will make the next hard that comes your way just a little easier to deal with.
One of my most favorite things to see and experience is a gorgeous sunrise. There is something so breathtaking about watching the sky go from dark to a little bit of light. Eventually that light begins to grow. Colors begin to streak across the horizon. Brilliant pinks and oranges and yellows break through where once the darkness stood. Then, if you wait long enough, a huge burning ball of light rises and slowly begins its ascension into the sky.
It’s an amazing process to watch, one that takes my breath away every single time. It’s the most spectacular to watch on the beach. The crazy thing about it is that it seems to go slow when you’re watching it. It seems to take forever for the sun to get in the sky if you are a bystander watching. However, if you’re at home, not paying attention, or still sleeping, it’s over and done so fast. If you don’t plan to watch it, to get there early to see it, you will wake up and it’s gone. The sun will be in the sky and there will be no signs of the brilliance that took place just a few minutes or hours before.
Matt and I watching the sun come up
Watching God Work
Watching God work in our lives is kind of like watching that sunrise. Only you get the front row seat to watch what God’s taking you through. Nobody else can fully see your pain, can understand the hurt, or imagine what you’re going through. To everybody else watching, they will simply see you in a season of darkness for a time until you come out on the other side, and they see the sun shining brightly. They miss the process; they miss the beauty of it.
Waiting for the Dark to Dispel
In our own lives, if we’re not careful, we miss it as well. God takes us into a season of trial, and it gets dark. Really dark. It’s the kind of darkness where you can’t see your hand in front of your face. In a spiritual sense, your hand becomes God’s goodness. In a season of dark, you can no longer see God’s goodness. It feels so far away. Further away still is his love. We can’t see anything but the trial in front of us.
Like the sunrise, if we wait long enough, if we hold on to faith and keep believing, the sun will slowly begin to rise. It will take some time, but the process of coming out of the darkness and into light—coming out on the other side—will begin. It’s a slow process, but it’s a beautiful one. Along the way, we will begin to see traces of God’s faithfulness, his love, his goodness. It’s been there all along, but we just couldn’t see it. As God begins to work, we will see his hand once again. Eventually, we will be on the other side of the trial, out of of that season of darkness. But if we’re not careful, we will have missed the beauty along the way.
The Morning Always Comes
Shauna Niequest puts it this way:
Because this is how life is. We get stuck in the dark, sometimes for a long time. We ache for morning. And sometimes it seems like it will never come. But this is also how life is. Dawn always breaks. Morning always comes.
From I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet by Shauna Niequiest
David put it this way:
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 27:13 KJV
God’s Goodness and Unfailing Love
If you are in a season of dark right now, if if seems like your hope is gone, let me encourage you with these words.
For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation
Psalm 100:5
God has not forgotten you; he sees you and hears you. His unfailing love and faithfulness still wrap around you today. You may not be able to see it right now; your faith may not be strong enough to feel it right now. That’s okay. You can borrow some of my faith for today. When your faith isn’t strong enough, lean on somebody else’s faith until you can stand back on your own. I’ve done that so many times. So lean on my faith and hear me when I say, God is still faithful. He still loves you, and he is still right beside you. You continue to do what’s right; don’t quit. He’s going to get you through this. Don’t miss the beauty in the journey.
Seeing Past the Dark
Watch for the light. You will begin to see little signs of him working in your life after a long season of nothing. Don’t miss the little flashes of color along the way. Keep hoping, keep believing, keep growing, keep trusting. Because if you do, there are great things on the other side of this dark season.
For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!
We have been home from the hospital for about six weeks now and are adjusting to our new normal with Macey, who was diagnosed at the beginning of June with Type 1 Diabetes. She has been such a trooper and so brave and strong through all of this.
Macey with her Dexcom on her arm
Macey’s New Dexcom
I am so happy to say that she got her Dexom—a continuous glucose monitoring system. It has made things so much easier for us to monitor her numbers continuously. It makes traveling soo much easier. With the touch of a button, we know her numbers. Whether it’s while she’s swimming in the pool, playing outside, traveling in the car, or sleeping…we can know what her numbers are and help to prevent any highs and lows. It’s been a game changer for us. The Dexcom takes the place of pricking her finger. So we don’t have to do all the finger pricking all day long, and she’s super grateful for that!
Macey’s Dexcom monitor
In the months to come, we are hoping to get her on an insulin pump. That will take the place of most of her insulin shots, so we are still praying and hoping for that sometime in the future. Right now, we are enjoying the freedom of using the Dexcom.
We got to go see our friends in Ohio and their new book store!
Back to Her Happy Self
Thank you to so many of you that have been praying for us and praying for Macey. She is doing so much better. She is back to her normal self, something that we are so incredibly grateful for. It took several weeks for her to be back to the “Macey” we know, but we are so happy with where she’s at now.
Macey on a date with her Daddy
She turned six last week and celebrated by having a Wonder Woman party! We had our family over for the day, and the cousins all ended up in the pool! It was a great day.
Macey’s birthday party
Being Reminded of God’s Goodness
It’s during times like these that we are reminded of how good God is and how blessed we are to have family and friends that love us and pray for us. We experienced such an outflow of love from people. Macey received card after card, balloons, presents in the mail, and more. We are beyond thankful for all of you! Thank you so much!
We are so thankful that God prepared us as much as possible to be able to handle Macey’s diagnosis. Every time we meet with a new doctor or nurse, they ask us if we are ready to handle the trials that come from having a Type 1 Diabetic child in school. Every time, we are able to tell them that we don’t have to worry about that because I homeschool the kids. Every time, without fail, they say something like, “Oh, good. That will be so much easier!” God is so good. He knew exactly what Macey would need before we did.
Our Biggest Blessing this Summer
God has an amazing way of meeting needs before we even know we know them. One of the biggest blessings we’ve experienced this summer is getting an Intex pool in the backyard. We have wanted one for several years and just haven’t pulled the trigger. We decided that this was the year. It has been a God-send. One of the things that keeps Madcey’s numbers from going too high is exercise. So, every time her numbers start to climb, we throw her in the pool…which she is happy as a clam to do! It’s been such a blessing!
The girls in the pool
Sometimes, you have to pull back and look at the full situation to see God’s hand of blessing in your life. Other times, it’s so evident that you can’t miss it. I feel like that’s how the last several weeks have been.
We continue to trust God and his plan for Macey as we move forward. We are continually reminded of his faithfulness and goodness to us.
My husband, Matt, wrote this post for his blog this week. I liked it so much and thought it was so helpful, I decided to share it for this week’s post.
The Perfect Storm
October 30, 1991, was the day a nameless storm hit the North Atlantic seaboard. Just a few days before, Hurricane Grace developed off the coast of Bermuda and headed to the Southeast coastline of the United States. As the days progressed, Grace came head-to-head with a low-pressure system hailing from Canada. The clash of the two storms created the perfect storm. The National Hurricane Center chose not to name the storm for fear it would confuse the public.
During the developing weather system, a crew of six manned a 70-foot fishing boat called the Andrea Gail. The crew headed to the Grand Banks of the North Atlantic, where they were hoping to catch swordfish. When the crew failed to arrive back into port on November 1, a search party was sent to look for the them. Sebastian Junger records the tale in his book, The Perfect Storm, which became a motion picture. The unnamed perfect storm swallowed the crew who were never found.
A Storm of Biblical Proportions
The disciples were used to fishing on the twelve-mile-long and eight-mile-wide Sea of Galilee. What they were not used to were the freak storms that could whip up at a moment’s notice. The sea was nicknamed “The Great Abyss” by the locals. While the sea gave the men their livelihood, it also posed a threat to their lives.
While we might not be in a literal storm like the disciples, we all face “storms” that threaten to take us down, along with the people we love as well as our future. How do you know if you’re going to make it through your storm? Here are five signs that indicate you won’t make it.
5 Signs You Won’t Make It Through the Storm
1. You are about to quit.
The worst time to leave a relationship, quit a job, or make a drastic decision is in the midst of a storm. It’s been said, “Don’t make a long-term decision, for short-term inconvenience.” Storms have a shelf-life with an expiration date. What’s the answer? H-A-L-T Don’t make a decision when you are H (Hungry), A (Angry), L (Lonely), or T (Tired.)
2. You think you’re the exception
You think you’re the exception. Sometimes the temptation comes to sail head-long into a bad situation, do nothing, or just hope for the best. “Let the chips fall where they may.” If you have advanced warning of a storm, experts say the best course of action is to find a port. Don’t look for just any port. Find a port that’s a “hurricane hole,” with high mountains or cliffs around it and a good holding. What’s the answer? Go to God. Reach out to friends who will point you back to God. Get to church. Church is a great port of refuge for those times we are the most troubled. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
3. You think another ship might help.
Target fixation can be a real problem in a storm. There are people and places you might think will be a help but will only sink you faster in the midst of chaos. What’s the answer? Have a plan and conviction before the chaos and crisis hits.
4. You’re in denial.
Ever heard this before? “Denial is not just a river in Egypt.” Some of us don’t like bad news, to feel pain, or deal with reality. We might get so used to chaos and living in a “storm” that we get comfortable with drama, stress, and toxicity. If you don’t get help or make a change, eventually you’ll start taking on water and sink any chance of making it through the storm. What’s the answer? Get HOT- be honest, open, and transparent with where you are in life. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. We are only as sick as our secrets. We’ve all got problems. If you’re in an abusive, unhealthy relationship, it might be time to reach out to someone and ask for help.
5. Your emotions are calling the shots.
Panic is the most dangerous crew member in the midst of a storm. If panic takes the helm and starts giving orders, the risk of injury and fatality increase exponentially. What’s the answer? Have a plan and stick to it. Get a buddy system. Who can you call to help you have objectivity in your situation? Who can you check in with on a regular basis so that you can keep a level head?
Your Own Perfect Storm
Maybe you’re facing your own unnamed perfect storm right now. You’re fearful of your circumstances swallowing you up. You fear no rescue party could find you. Friends and family have their own worries to tend to. You may feel alone like the disciples and wonder if anyone knows or cares about you. Be encouraged to know that Jesus will always come to you in your storm.
In Matthew 14:22-33, the disciples experienced a literal storm. Jesus came to them in the midst of their storm and guided them safely to shore.
Jesus will allow for situations to unfold in which we feel far from him. In the start of the story, Jesus tells the disciples to go on ahead without him. Sometimes there are situations in life when we feel alone and far from Jesus. It’s simply a part of life. But just because we feel lonely doesn’t mean we are alone.
Remember this: God may allow storms, but he doesn’t abandon us in them. When you are in the midst of your storm, call out to Jesus. He will be there and help guide you safely through your storm.
Last Sunday, I stood before our church family and gave one of the points of Matt’s message for the day. The point was this… God allows weakness into our lives so that we fully depend on God’s grace and strength. I spoke about how there is never going to be a day that we don’t need God. I had no idea that those words were about to play out in my life in a very real way.
On Monday afternoon, we took our five-year old, Macey, to the emergency room. She had been throwing up for twenty-four hours and grown progressively weaker and dehydrated. She got to the point where she could no longer walk and had to be carried.
Transfer to Chop
By the time we got to the emergency room, she was pretty much comatose. We could barely get her to respond, her heart rate was really high, and her eyes were sunken in. They immediately told us they suspected type 1 diabetes. Soon, they drew her blood and told us that her sugars were 1795—something they had never seen before. They immediately contacted Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania to come pick her up and transfer her.
Macey was completely comatose for the transport to CHOP. There was a team waiting for her in the ICU when we got there and they immediately got to work. They got three IVs going, and she was put on fluids and insulin.
The Next Forty-Eight Hours
Over the course of the next forty-eight hours, she had blood work every two hours, finger pricks, shots, and more. They couldn’t get her blood to draw easily, so every time was complete torture—her screaming and crying for it to stop for twenty minutes every time.
Every night when I laid down around midnight to get a little rest in between blood work, after Matt had gone home to be with our other kids and I was alone, the tears would start. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m not strong enough. I can’t take her pain. I hate this…”
Each morning, I would wake up, pray for a few minutes, read some of my Bible on my phone and start again. God would carry me through the day once again. It was literally an hour by hour thing of depending on God to get me through.
On Thursday, I got to hold her for the first time. Neither one of us said anything. She was just grateful to be held, and I was grateful to hold my little girl in my arms.
We got to leave the ICU on Thursday night and move to the endocrinology floor where Matt and I continued our training to be able to care for her at home.
We finished our training late Friday afternoon and finally got to begin the discharge process. Then, around dinner time, we got to take our precious girl home.
Our Lives Forever Changed
Our lives have forever changed, and so has Macey’s. We had absolutely no idea what we were dealing with when they diagnosed her. Wrongly, we assumed that we would have to limit her sugar, help her eat healthy and exercise, and give insulin when needed.
We couldn’t have been more wrong. What we didn’t know was that Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease for which there is no cure. It’s not maintained by diet and exercise.
Simply put, her pancreas doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. Because of that, she can’t put anything into her mouth ever again without first taking insulin. That means she has to check her blood sugar with finger pricks five to eight times a day and get as many shots.
We have to figure out how what and how much she is going to eat every time she eats and figure out how much insulin to give her before she eats. That doesn’t include a nightly dose of insulin as well as checking anytime throughout the day when we suspect her sugars are low or high.
When we sat down and told her what was happening at the hospital—that she has diabetes and we were going to have to continue the finger pricks and shots at home, she cried… and my heart broke. To have to continue this every day for the rest of her life is staggering. To be the one to do it to her is absolutely crushing.
The events of last week have been the hardest thing Matt and I have ever dealt with, and it’s not over. It’s just beginning.
Grace for Today
When I opened my eyes on Saturday morning after a short, interrupted sleep, I thought of the words I spoke on Sunday…just a few days before. That there isn’t going to be a day we don’t need God. I recalled the verse I used from II Corinthians.
Paul asked for his problem to be taken away, and God said no. God didn’t take Paul’s problems away; instead He responded with this these words.
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
II Corinthians 12:9
During those long days in the hospital, those words were all that I had to cling to. That his grace and strength would be enough to carry me through to face another hour and another day. That he will be there for my little girl just as much as he was for me.
Our New Normal
Life looks a little different at the Manney house than it did just a week ago. We have things I never thought we’d have like a medical shelf in our closet filled with syringes, glucose strips, alcohol wipes, and more. We have a medic bag we take with us everywhere we go.
It’s amazing, though, how God’s grace carries us through. Just a few days ago, I felt hopeless, confused, and exhausted. Yet, we are adjusting to this new normal and continuing on with life just as we did before Macey’s diagnosis. That’s God’s grace.
Macey is smiling again; she’s going to be just fine. Are there challenges ahead? Yes. Is everything perfect? No. Are there hard moments and tough days? Yes. But God will get us through them by His grace…one day at a time.
God’s Grace for Today
If you’re going through something today, and you don’t know how you can make it through. I understand; I get it. The words of hope I want to give you are the same words I clung to last week. God’s grace is enough for today. Cling to that thought today and let God’s Grace and strength carry you through the next day, the next hour, the next minute even. Don’t look ahead to the future; just focus on today.
It’s a dreary, rainy day as I sit here and write this post. I am definitely one of those people who is affected by the weather. On sunny days, I feel ready to work hard and get a lot accomplished. A rainy day? Not so much. I have learned to appreciate rainy days, though, because it helps me enjoy the sunny days so much more.
But sometimes, rainy days are just depressing. Sometimes they make you feel sad and discouraged. So here’s my encouragement for today. It comes right from Eeyore, from Winnie the Pooh.
A. A. Milne
The rain has to stop falling eventually. At some point, the rain will stop, the clouds will roll back, and the sun will come out once again.
A Season of Difficulty
You may be in a difficult season right now where it feels like the rain just won’t stop falling. You need the sun to shine, but all you see are rainy dreary days. That’s a difficult place to be, and my heart goes out to you. You have no hope that things are going to be okay. Maybe your heart is broken, and you don’t feel like it’s ever going to heal. Maybe you’re in a season of depression, and you can’t seem to move past it.
Sometimes life knocks us to our knees. It’s during those times that we need God the most, yet it’s often the hardest time to find Him.
If you’re are in a difficult season right now, I want to encourage you with three simple reminders.
1. God Loves You
It’s so simple, yet so often we forget. Let me be the one to remind you that God loves you. He loves you for who you are, not who you want to be. The flaws and imperfections that you see are what make you special to Him. He created you perfectly, and you bring immense joy to Him.
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Psalm 139:13, 15 MSG
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:33 KJV
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39 KJV
There is no greater way to know that God loves us than to remember He gave His very life for us. Paul also reminds us in Romans that absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love. His love for us is so powerful that there is nothing that we can do or anybody else can do to remove His love from us.
2. God Is For You
In the midst of hard times, it is so hard to see that God is for you. In a time where everything seems to be against you, it’s hard to see that God is working for your good. During difficult times in my life, I have the hardest time believing God is for me. He feels so far away. It doesn’t feel like He’s doing anything to help me.
It’s during these times that Satan whispers to us that God is giving us “what we deserve.” He leads us to believe that God is punishing us, that He doesn’t care about us or what happens to us. These are all lies. We need to focus on truth instead. The truth is that God is working in every detail of our lives to bring about His plan for our lives.
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. Psalm 18:30,32
3. God Hasn’t Forgotten You
This is usually what I need to hear the most in trying times. So let me be the one to remind you of this truth today. God has not forgotten you. He knows exactly what you are going through. He sees the hurt and the pain and understands the confusion, the doubt, and the fear. You may feel that He is so far away but know this. God is acutely aware of what you are going through. He hasn’t left you to go through this on your own. He reminds us of this truth in Hebrews.
…I will neverleavethee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5 KJV
God has promised that He will never leave us. When it feels the darkest, when it feels like God is far away, remember that God is with you.
One of my favorite Bible stories is the story of the disciples in a storm. Mark 6 gives us the account of the disciples being stuck in a storm. They were on a ship when a ferocious storm came upon them. It must have been really bad because these were seasoned fishermen. They were used to being out on the water. Whatever they saw in the storm terrified them.
Jesus comes to them in the midst of their storm. Then he steps into the boat with them. Jesus didn’t leave them to suffer through the storm alone. No, He came to them in their darkest hour and stepped into the boat with them.
That’s how I know God hasn’t forgotten you. In the midst of your storm, He will come to you and step into your storm with you. He may not make the storm stop, but He will keep you safe in the midst of it.
The Rainy Days Will Eventually Go Away
The rain will stop falling eventually. You will come to the end of this difficult season. At some point, the clouds will roll away, and the sun will shine brightly once more. Until then, remember that God loves you, He is for you, and He hasn’t forgotten you.
Book Suggestion
A great book to read during this season is It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa TerKeurst. If anyone has a reason to complain and feel like God has forgotten them, it’s Lisa. She shares her story openly and with vulnerability in her book. I promise it will encourage your heart.
I hit the wall this week. I’ve been doing okay with staying home and life being crazy. I’ve continued to homeschool my kids each day. I’ve kept up with my writing goals and the work I need to accomplish. I kept telling myself, “It’s okay. We will get through this. It’s not much longer.” Then I saw that my part of the world is not going to open until June, and that’s when I lost it. That’s when I had a meltdown.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel like I could do one more day of this quarantine. I wanted everything back to normal like right now! I felt like I was going to go insane!
I spent about three days in this state, totally discouraged, frustrated, at the end of my rope. I didn’t feel like homeschooling or doing my work, I was frustrated with my kids, and felt overwhelmed with life. I kept asking God to help me snap out of it. I finally made myself sit down and think about what was really bothering me and making me so frustrated. I finally was able to pin it down. It was the fact that I didn’t see an end in sight.
Choosing to Focus On Today and Avoid the Meltdown
God brought to mind a lesson I thought I learned about two years ago that I needed to be reminded of again. I needed to be reminded to just take it one day at a time. Just focus on what I need to do today to get through. If I would have remembered that, I probably could have avoided my three-day meltdown. Once I let that thought take root, I finally had peace for the first time in three days. God calmed my heart. I focused on what I needed to do that day and let everything else go.
I didn’t think about the beach trip that we missed because of the Coronavirus. I chose not to think about the fact that I couldn’t be in Illinois helping my sister and her family pack so they could move to Kentucky. I decided not to try to figure out when and how we would reschedule our trip to see my family in Colorado. I pushed thoughts away from trying to figure out when we would be able to have church again, when I would be able to go to Barnes and Noble or the library or the park again, and took a deep breath and just focused on today. Because something I learned but had to remind myself of again is that in the midst of a difficult time, the best thing I can do is focus on what I need to do to get through today.
Our Season of Difficulty
About two years ago, God took our family through a difficult season. You can read more about our story in a post I wrote- 5 Ways to Move Forward After a Difficult Season. Matt and I have spent a lot of time talking about what God took us through. We think it’s not a coincidence that God took us through a season of testing and great financial difficulty about two years before Coronavirus would hit. God knew our friends and family and those we minister to would be hit with financial difficulty, job loss, layoffs, reduced pay, frustration, fear of the unknown, and more.
I read a verse in my morning time this week that I feel like sums up where I am at personally after that difficult time in our lives.
As you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet. Psalm 86:17 MSG
I have quickly fallen in love with this verse. I feel like He has gently but powerfully placed me back on my feet. I’ve come through the other side and can offer help and encouragement to those who are in a difficult season right now.
5 Reminders to Make It Through a Difficult Time
When I look back on that time in my life, I think about these five things that helped me to make it through. I needed to be reminded of them again this week.
Just take it one day at a time. Don’t look at tomorrow, next week, or next month. Just focus on making it through today.
Don’t make any big decisions right now. Now is not the time to make major life decisions.
Keep up with your morning time routine, or start one if you don’t already have one. Read my 3 Quick Tips for a Successful Morning Time to get started with a morning time routine. My morning time routine of Bible reading, praying, and journaling was the single most important thing that kept me sane during that difficult time in my life.
Hold on to hope. Keep believing that God will get you through this time because He will. If you lose hope, you lose your ability to make it through.
Write down at least one thing every morning that you are grateful for. During hard times, we lose focus and our bearings on reality. Writing down something every day that is good in our lives is a way to keep us grounded.
If we’re not careful, it’s times like these that we can find ourselves drifting away from God. We’re not attending church, we can’t meet with our small group, our routine is off because we are working from home… If we’re not careful, we will walk away from this time finding ourselves far away from God.
To keep that from happening, we have to choose to stay faithful today. We just have to make it through one more day. Soon enough, we will be on the other side looking back. We will see how God carried us through this difficult season and we stayed faithful during the midst of it.
Resources for Encouragement
A few of my resources
If you are looking for a book to read while stuck at home or need a journal for your morning time routine, check out my Amazon Author page for my books and journals.
