I’m a song lyric junkie, there are countless lyrics floating through my mind at any given time. I often wonder what I could do with this brain of mine, if it wasn’t so crammed full of song lyrics?! Bridge Over Troubled Water is the song running through my mind tonight, as I think about a friend who is feeling beat up by life. She is “weary and feeling small”. I wished while listening to her share her discouragement that there was something I could do to make her situation better. Some guarantee I could give her that her next try would result in success, but all I could do was listen and encourage her to get back up again.
I recognized myself in her words. You are probably familiar with some of the same feelings as well, I think most of humanity is. There are times when it seems nothing is going your way, you can’t seem to catch a break. You keep knocking and doors keep shutting in your face. You get up only to get knocked down again. You hope for the best and end up sitting amidst disappointment. Life can really knock the wind out of us, our own struggles and failures, wanting for something better, something more and it just doesn’t seem to come.
What do we do with that? Boy, I wish there was an easy answer, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t exist. However, I am sure of a few things and when life has you feeling deflated it’s good to remember what you do know. So, here’s what I know.
1. You are not alone. Oh, it may feel like you’re the only one in the fight, but trust me there are others fighting their own battles. Life isn’t targeting you in particular. Don’t think you’re the only one, don’t compare your walk to the person next to you. This only feeds the isolation and depression. This may be your fight, but you are not the only one fighting a battle. You also don’t have to fight the battle on your own, share your struggle with another, they, like me may not have answers but they can listen, bring perspective and truth. Don’t let your pride keep you from letting a friend be a friend. Most importantly, God Himself is on your side, He is for YOU! We may not understand His ways, but we can always trust His heart!
2. It’s ok to be tired. Life can be hard and when we are struggling it can take all kinds of energy! Guess what? You’re human, you’re gonna get tired. Don’t beat yourself up for struggling, for not getting it perfect. Self evaluation is important, are you carrying the load correctly? Sometimes, we are carrying a load that isn’t ours to carry. Other times we are carrying a load that we have no power to change and we need to turn it over to God and leave it there. If you are struggling with catching a break, striving to reach a goal, remember you are human and the road to success is usually long and winding. Be gracious to yourself!
3. Quitting isn’t the right choice. It sure can be tempting at times but I think it’s true what “they” say, that anything worth achieving is worth fighting for. You may need to rest for a minute and catch your breath, but don’t you quit! Giving up never makes you feel better, it may bring temporary relief and sitting out of the game may be easy, but your dreams and goals are worth fighting for! You can do hard things! Trust me when I say the pain of trying and failing is still better than the pain of throwing in the towel.
4.Hold On, this too shall pass. It won’t always feel this way. Dawn will break and morning will come. If you are feeling to weak to grab onto this hope, have someone else grab on for you. We only see a part of the picture, our view is limited. There are times life can be so overwhelming that it is all we can do to put one foot in front of the other. It won’t always feel this way. Hold on my friend!
I don’t know about you all, but the advertising slogan, “nice and easy that’s my style” was probably written for me 🙂 I don’t want things to hurt, I don’t want them to be tough, I want it right now and I certainly don’t want it to be messy! Guess what? I don’t get my way very often.
I am learning that I can fail and survive. I am learning that I can do hard things. I am learning that if I am not willing to be uncomfortable, I will not grow. I am learning that trying and failing 100 times over is still better than sitting out. I am learning that my difficulties and struggles are a part of my story. I am learning that life is a marathon not a sprint. I am learning that I should be kind to myself when I fall short of measuring up to my expectations.
When I am weary and feeling small God can really shine through best of all, IF I let Him. Be encouraged my friend, we can do hard things!
Neeserisms 