Life is Hard, but...

A song refrain goes..."Life is hard, but God is good." Therein lies my confidence while I wade through deep waters. I'm relying on my repertoire of tunes, thoughts, Bible verses, and prayers to sustain me day by day. And except for the Lord, I can not endure.

Our pastor mentioned during a Bible study session that people often misquote a Bible verse (I Cor. 10:13) saying God will never give you more than you can bear. False. That verse is refering to temptation -- "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will provide the way of escape." As for trials and hardships in life...oh yeah, God allows those. Right now life is throwing more at me than I can bear, and God isn't stopping it. It's not because He likes watching me squirm and cry, but He wants to help me grow up and rely on Him. (You know the fate of the butterfly who is helped out of his cocoon with a few little snips. That act of kindess is the creature's demise. Caterpillars need to struggle out or they're done for. That's just the way it is.) Likewise, I'm struggling. And when my abilities and capabilities fail and my strength is gone, God's strength is perfectly sufficient.

He is my all in all, my refuge and safe place. He is my shelter from storm, stronghold in times of trouble, everpresent help. He is compassionate and He lavishes love and grace on me. How could I not fall in love and stay in love with the Lord God Almighty? He is strong enough to lift me up and take me through deep water.

So, I will endure this growing season, this ordeal, by drawing close to God and letting Him carry me. Turns out I'm not trapped in this trial. I can run and throw myself into the arms of my heavenly father. He'll catch me. He'll care for me. He'll get me through.