Struggle is Okay
It is hard for us to struggle. We always want to succeed in all we do. We look at struggle as a painful burden that gets in the way of our goals. I hate to tell you, but the struggle is good...it helps us grow. Especially in our faith. I have learned the hard way that faith is not an easy thing to succeed at. It requires quite a bit of effort and perseverance. We tend to run away at the first sight of hardship or discomfort. But it is in that struggle that the Lord is calling you to be near to him. He wants to walk with you through your struggles and he hopes to gain your trust. When you entrust the Lord with your joys, he also wants to be there with you in your hardships.
In my own life, times where I've faced extreme pain whether that was physical or emotional, the Lord never turned away. It took me a while to admit my own weakness in my fight with the obstacles ahead of me. But once I surrendered to my weakness and took on the strength of the Lord, I realized that when I face pain or hardships the Lord is my strength and he gets me through. Step by step…
My journey through basic training is my favorite example of how God walked with me through the hurt. I'm sure I will reference this many times in future posts because of how my faith was truly strengthened by it.
It's easy to look at basic training from the outside and see how daunting it is. You fixate on whether you made the right decision, and if you have what it takes. Personally, after hearing my Army friends talk about their experiences, and watching video after video, I had an "oh shoot" moment. Well...too late...I'm already in. I just gotta do it. Little did I know, that with God by my side, there wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I walked off that plane and onto that fear-filled bus with the Lord's calming strength as my armor. Nothing or nobody could make me afraid of the ten weeks that stood ahead of me. I talked to God like he was my best friend. I believed he was guiding my steps on the long, dark ruck marches on uneven paths. I believed he was carrying the weight of my rucksack, my weapon, and the hot, heavy gear that I had to wear. I believed that when we got "smoked" or "dropped", the Lord was holding me up, not allowing me to give in to the pain. He spoke to me through my pain. He gave me great battle buddies to keep me motivated. He gave me amazing Drill Sergeants who not only taught us but who guided us to become the soldiers we are today. He gave me his strength when I acknowledged that I would fail by relying on my own strength. He encouraged me to keep my head up high and be the light for others. He walked with me step by step, day by day...strengthening my faith while I navigate the crazy journey to become a soldier.
There are many other moments I'm sure I could share in relation to my struggle and how my faith gets me through. I share this now because I remember what it feels like to feel unstoppable with total faith in the Lord to get me through something I wasn't sure I was capable of. I remember what it feels like to rely on strength larger than my own in the struggles I faced in the minute. Only God knows better than anyone else what we went through together. I was strong in every way possible by the end of basic...spiritually, mentally, and even physically!!
But, that was then. This is now. My faith was strengthened then, but I am now in a different season of faith. A season where I am often discouraged in prayer because I feel like I need to be where I was before. I need to focus on the now and be okay with where I am instead of focusing on where I was and where I want to be. He is still the same good and loving Father that he was when he carried me through basic. Now, he is guiding me to another period of growth and it took me a while to realize that I shouldn't be so discouraged. He is still seeking me and asking me to walk with him step by step...day by day.
It took me almost a year and even a quarantine to be able to focus on where I am instead of where I was. Basic allowed me to focus on the now, grow in faith, and live in the moment. I am always looking ahead or behind in moments where I don't feel as close to God. It's okay to struggle. The Lord reveals so much in that time if you just turn to him and let him guide you through it. I hope this encourages you to meet him where you're at and go from there. Be where you are now. I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results.
