Have you ever wakened in the morning, looked at the clock, groaned and covered your head, wishing you didn’t have to get up? I daresay it happens to many of us–especially if it’s Monday morning. Yep, like this morning. I’m not making fun of your struggle, but sometimes life seems just too hard.
It was hard
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you would know I just returned from a trip to Israel. And while it was a bucket-list trip for me, it was hard. Someone calculated on his smart watch that we had walked 28 miles in 10 days! And the watch didn’t say anything about how many hills we climbed, and how hot the weather was. In one place, the mercury reached 100 degrees. Yes, it was hard!
What kept me going
But what kept us, kept me going, was a sense of purpose. Visiting Israel, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, was a bucket-list accomplishment for me. That is what made me get out of my bed at 5. 30 every morning, get dressed and board the bus. Would I do it again? You bet I would!
The apostle Paul’s difficulties
The apostle Paul, speaking of all the difficulties he and his companions endured while they were in Asia, said, “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1: 8 – 9).
Rely on God
If trying to achieve your goals seems difficult right now, here’s what you need to do: Rely on God. If you read the New Testament, you would see Paul’s recounting of the hardships he endured –beaten, stoned, left for dead, imprisoned, shipwrecked, bitten by a snake– the list goes on and on. But all of these things happened that they might learn to rely on God and not on themselves. Trying to lose weight? Get rid of diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, whatever? Medicines may help, but you must also trust God. He made you, He knows your body and He wants to help you.
Keep your purpose in mind
Paul and his companions had a purpose–to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. They were not just going for a visit. In the same way you must keep your purpose in mind. Write your goals down and look at them every chance you get. Pray about them and watch God bring them to pass.
