This week has been a tough one just filled to the brim with challenges. We all have those kind of weeks at times when the road seems rough, right? Well, it has seemed as though several areas of my life all came together and decided things weren’t going to work out smoothly. I felt like I was doing what God had called me to do in these areas to the best of my abilities and yet… I wasn’t seeing the results that I expected. Surely, when we are walking Christ’s path, the pathway is smooth, right? Not exactly.
Christ doesn’t promise a snag free life when we choose to follow Him. In fact, He tells us to consider it pure joy when our faith is tested because it produces perseverance. That verse (found in James 1:2-3) is a hard one to grasp at times because it just doesn’t seem fair. And what’s the point of following a Savior that doesn’t protect me from each pothole or roadblock?
While I was in the middle of this challenging week and feeling a little low from reflecting on all this, Christ brought me to a scripture I had read before but it took on a greater meaning. I’m so grateful for how He speaks to each of us directly through scripture. The scripture was “Never tire of doing what is right.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:13. That verse has played over and over in my head since I read it.
Our day to day comfort and ease is really not Christ’s highest priority for our lives. He isn’t always calling us to the easy path, but here’s the great news! The struggles that come along in that path are the type that help us grow closer to Him, to trust more in Him, to surrender ourselves more fully to Him. For in our weakness, He is strong. Those struggles not only produce perseverance but help us to look more and more like Christ. He is molding us and reforming us each day when we yield to His guidance.
And although our challenges may not always turn out with the results we were hoping for, scripture tells us to “fix our eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal”. Sometimes we have to let go of our temporary discomforts and know without a doubt that Christ is working on us, He will never forsake us, and there are greater days ahead (and that is a promise).
Perhaps you find yourself dealing with some roughness in the road this week as well. My prayer is that we seek His face each day, that we grow through the potholes and curves that come our direction, and that more than anything we keep our focus centered on Him. May we NEVER tire of doing what is right.
Happy Friday!
