The Grace to Go On
We have reached the point of the year in which people reflect. It’s always around the end of the year that people reminisce on the year and begin to plan what they will do differently. But it’s impossible to reflect without thinking about things that happened to us over the year: things we enjoyed and would love to relive, but also the things that we did not like, did not deserve, or cannot explain.
So what do we do when we are faced with adversity or recovering from a battle?
The Bible tells us in James chapter 1 that when we go through suffering, we are to count it all joy. Imagine that. How could we ever rejoice in our suffering or count that as something to be joyful about? It would seem backward to think that.
The other day, I came across this TikTok video and it really illuminated one of the simplest ways to get through adversity. The man shared that Jesus was the best example of how to rejoice in our suffering. We know Jesus paid the ultimate price for us through dying on the cross. But before that, He endured ridicule, mocking, teasing, and betrayal by not only His two-faced disciple but also those who praised Him one day and turned on Him the next (See these verses in the Gospels for more). I am sure we can all think of a time when, because of our faith. we were placed on the margins of society. But even in those times, Jesus stayed connected to Father God and always heeded God’s voice and instruction. That is one of the ways we go on. Just like us, there were times Jesus was not exactly thrilled at what He had to face, but he stayed connected to God and ultimately asked that God’s will be done:
Luke 22: 41-42: And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.”
Remember, in both 2 Corinthians 9:8 and Titus 2: 11-14, Paul reminds us that God gives us ALL the grace we need to do every good work. In other words, when we tap into the Holy Spirit and really heed the voice of God, it is HE who gives us the strength to carry on. A strong woman of God shared that with me. She read a brother in Christ’s testimony about what he had seen in Hell and how he questioned why Jesus allowed those in Hell to remain there. But Jesus reminded the brother that He gives us ALL the grace (the tools; spiritual gifts) we need to make it to Heaven. (So in reality, He is not sending nor keeping people in Hell but rather disobedience, and worldly foci send one to Hell). I would like to add to that, that He also gives us all we need to get through this life on Earth so that we can make it to Heaven.
Something else we must remember to get us through adversity is that everything belongs to God (Deuteronomy 10:14, Psalm 24:1, Hebrews 2:10, others). The Bible reminds us that not only does everything in Heaven and Earth belong to God, but that from Him are all things. Note: Now that does not mean that every time we suffer, it’s God. It could be the enemy attacking us, it could be a result of our sin, or it could be a growth moment (Matthew 5:45).
But nonetheless, it is God who is in control. He knows when we go through adversity or when we need healing. But because everything belongs to Him and comes from Him, we know that everything in this life is a blessing that He gave us, and we are just stewards of it. In other words, our focus should not be on earth and the things/people we have a short amount of time with, but our focus should be on Him and things that would lead us into righteousness and holiness (James 4:14-15).
We know that adversity will come but we can make it by following 3 simple steps:
Always stay connected to our creator, God, and heed his voice
Remember that He gives us all the grace we need to make it in life and get to Heaven
We should be focused on the Lord and righteousness because everything belongs to God and we are just stewards of it for a short time on earth.
Oftentimes, it’s easier said than done trying to walk those steps out. It’s easier to worry about the future, or even to be angry at the situation or be angry at God when we can’t point the finger at an earthly being. But fellow saints, life gets so much better when we remember and honor the God we serve. When we say we have hope for the future, not only do we mean Heaven but we also know the Lord rewards us for our suffering on earth (Matthew 19:29 and Mark 10:29-31)
So I encourage you as we begin to wrap up 2022, don’t lament on the year or all that you’ve gone through, but instead count it all joy and remember that God has equipped us with the grace to go on!
Be in Peace!