Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. (1 Peter 1:3-6)

As I roam the Mission and have the pleasure of speaking with so many of you, I hear some amazing stories about your own personal experiences—what God has brought you through or what you are currently dealing with. I can’t help but be amazed at your capacity and ability to persevere. However, I know that sometimes you feel that there is no solution, no way out, and that you will never be able to climb out of the situation that you are currently in. I remember feeling that way myself at one time and becoming quite seriously depressed.

Here are some lessons I have learned along the way (not in any particular order):

1. It’s okay to talk to God about your feelings. His shoulders are very broad. Even Job cursed the day of his birth and asked God, “Why didn’t I die at birth, my first breath out of the womb my last?” (Job 3:11) Job certainly had suffered unimaginable losses, but God did not retaliate against Job for his complaints; in fact, God eventually restored Job’s fortunes.

2. It’s okay to ask others for help. This was one of my problems—I wouldn’t ask for help. My pride just got in the way of me admitting I needed any help, so in the process I alienated people closest to me which created other problems. I certainly don’t think any less of my friends and family who ask me for help and am honored to be part of their lives in this way. I regret that I didn’t enlist support when I needed it and missed those opportunities for community.

3. It’s also okay to be wise about the help that you accept. True help should be unconditional and it should be God-honoring. True help will not compound your problems like a high-interest loan, breaking the law, or fostering unhealthy behavior will.

4. Even though you may be really pushed for time, regularly make time for yourself and for God. If you don’t, you soon won’t be good for anyone else. You must prioritize your physical and your spiritual health with rest, eating well, and spending time with God in prayer and Bible reading. I also know from personal experience that this is true. And remember, these are things that no one else can do for you; you must do them for yourself!

5. When you pray, acknowledge God’s authority and His provision. When I do this, it helps me to put everything into its proper perspective. When Job cried out to God in Chapter 3, and continued his complaints against God in subsequent chapters, God then answered Job in Chapters 38-41, an amazing passage reminding us of the authority, majesty, and power of God Himself. Job’s response to God in Job 42:1-6: “I know now that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

6. My last bit of practical advice: Take some time to analyze your situation.

a. List the challenges you are facing.

b. Prioritize them if possible, either by importance or ease of dealing with.

c. Figure out what has to be done first and set goals each day for what you can get done that day. Maybe it’s a phone call, or maybe it’s researching some information to act on. Try to make a positive step forward each day, even if it’s a tiny one.

Remember, all you can do is all you can do. (Remember the riddle, “How do you eat an elephant?” Extra credit if you comment on this post with the answer to this riddle.)

When I was at my lowest point, when my back was against the wall and I felt that I had nowhere else to turn, I finally realized that I could not deal with my challenges by my own power. Turning to God, this is how He got through to me. He spoke through a coworker. I overheard her speaking to another coworker (I guess God knew I was not going to listen to anyone directly). She quoted Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I was immediately convicted that I needed to give it all to Jesus and he would see me through. After all, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:26-34).

I began this devotion in 1 Peter. The conclusion of that passage explains why we have trials. Everything we experience on this earth – good and bad – is intended for the praise, glory, and honor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we view our lives with this perspective, we can then as James says, “consider it great joy when [we} experience various trials.”

May God richly bless you in all things.

“These [trials] have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:7-9).

In Christ,

Judy