Saturday, Katie and I took the boys to Hot Springs because Barrett was playing ball Sunday. We decided to go out on the party barge and take the boys to the cold dam. If you have never been there, the water drops to 54-55 degrees. It is freezing, or at least it feels like it. We got down there. Jack’s floaty flew in the water, and poor Carter, who had never been there, jumped in and grabbed it for Katie. We were really struggling, but it got worse. I saw the clouds darken, and the wind pick up, and we knew we needed to head back. We started going but couldn’t go very fast; the wind whipped the tarp around and threw the back seat up into the air. Barrett and Carter had to hold on to the metal on the side because it was broken anyway. Barrett was worried that if it broke off, he would fly off with it. The rain kept coming; Katie even thought it was hail. Lightning was striking in front of us, and the thunder roared. Jack is scared to death of storms, so he cried and hollered. As we pulled into the cove, the whole top blew off, and the tarp landed in Katie’s face, and then she started screaming. We finally made it back to the dock on the party barge, only to realize the power was out, but we made it through the storm.
Isn’t this how life is? If you have dodged the hard things, then I don’t know what to say, because I think everyone goes through a hard thing at some point. And everyone’s hard thing depends on how they see it and what they have to compare it to. My hard things may be different from yours, and we compare them to each other and probably grade them based on intensity, fear, discomfort, and more.
When we think of Biblical characters who went through hard times that weren’t brought on by something they did or were involved in, my mind goes to Jesus. He was chosen to go through a difficult time for us.
Paul went through difficult times sharing the gospel with the Gentiles. He was imprisoned and still sang.
Coming off 9/11, I have read about many who went through hard things. The day itself was hard.
The other day, I listened to 9/11 stories, and there was one about the guy with a red bandana. His dad gave him a red bandana years ago, and he always kept it with him. He went up and down the stairwell in one of the towers, saving people. The fourth time he went up, he didn’t come back down, but people told of the man with the red bandana who saved them.
I read another story about a man who worked for Morgan Stanley, but in his younger days he served in the Vietnamese jungles as a young captain, standing shoulder to shoulder with the men under his command. He fought in the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965. He was steady, and the real lesson in the jungle was this: survival belongs to those who prepare before the crisis comes. During 9/11, he took his bullhorn and, with the same steadiness he had in the jungle, directed the offices of Morgan Stanley to get up and leave the building in a calm, singing voice.
We will go through hard things, but we can do hard things because of Christ and only because of him. In Phil 4:13, we know Christ provides the strength we need during hard times. The lessons we learn through Christ prepare us for the crisis that comes. When we develop a relationship with Him, we are prepared for hard things.
Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me“)
This means having the strength to endure any life circumstance with contentment, rather than guaranteeing personal success or athletic victory. The Apostle Paul wrote these words from a Roman prison, and in context, “all things” refers specifically to handling poverty, hunger, hardship, and abundance with peace.
We are to learn from Paul that we too can go through hard things. It is not through our own strength but only through Christ’s strength that we walk through situations and circumstances that are so difficult and heavy that we never think we will see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Today would have been Stringer’s 44th birthday. He passed away 6 years ago. It was a very difficult thing to go through. Watching someone die makes you question many things, and you also learn a lot. Only through Christ, who has given us strength, did we get through it.
To be able to get through hard things, we need to be prepared for those times to come, so to do that, you need to:
- Start every day in His word; just open your bible and read Scripture, or do the bible app Scripture of the day
- Serve others just as Jesus did. Wash others’ feet.
- Fill your cup so you can fill other cups, and the best way to fill your cup is with Jesus. Staying spiritually nourished is the key.
As Father Mike says I’ll pray for you; you pray for me
As Tara Leigh Cobble says, He’s where the joy is.
And from me, Cupcake loves you, and so does Jesus.
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