Not near as often as we would like, Courtney and I will load up the kids and head towards her home state of Kentucky for a visit. It’s a about a 15 hour drive from our home in Texas and we always choose to leave around noon and drive through the night when traffic is not so heavy. Typically she’ll drive the daytime hours and just past the kid’s normal bedtime. I have an easier time driving at night and through the morning hours, so that’s when I’ll take over to finish the trip.
It’s a team effort for us and though we’ve both taken that journey on our own before, as I get older, I couldn’t imagine driving that distance without her. We both have to have sleep and rest on the trip and we also keep each other engaged in conversation or singing songs together. It’s a long trip and we want to keep our kids and each other as safe as possible on the journey, so there’s no one I trust more than my sweetheart for a traveling companion.
Can’t the same be said about our journey through this life?
As we seek out God’s purpose for our life, there’s no question that we will face disappointments, hardships, confusion, fatigue, and false starts. The easiest thing to do in these times is to get frustrated and stall, forgetting about our greatest traveling partner through life, Jesus Christ. We must never take for granted the wisdom of God and His love for us. He is tireless and never makes mistakes. No matter what we face in life, He is always by our side and He will never be done with us; so brothers and sisters, please do not be discouraged with whatever you’re facing.
“My dear brothers and sisters, stay firmly planted (be unshakable) and do many good works in the name of God, and know that all your labor is not for nothing when it is for God.”
--1 Corinthians 15:58 (VOICE)
The hard thing to see sometimes is that during our seasons of trials, or heck, maybe it’s during this life of trials; that the setbacks we face don’t have to make us weak and incapable. Instead, they can build us up and make us stronger and wiser.
Think about the story of Job in Scripture. The man had everything taken away from him…EVERYTHING. To say he was facing a life of setbacks is an understatement. But even in the midst of his torment, Job was able to see the truth of things through his faithfulness to God and he grew stronger.
“The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.”
--Job 17:9 (NLT)
Discouragement will either make you or break you. Discouragement will either stop you or drive you forward.
Remember that you’re not alone and trust God. Don’t dwell on the past and things you can’t control and fight Satan in his attempts to make you feel worthless and not worthy of being used by God. You have a choice in all this, you can both stand still and exist or you can reach for your future and thrive.
Just know, your future always lies ahead of you and not behind.
Be patient with yourself, the world around you, your family and friends, and especially God and the future He has planned for your life. I know it’s hard sometimes, but we have to let it unfold as He wills. Believe it or not, that’s the way it should be. After all, think how God has been patient with You.
