I’d like to share a vital, though somewhat unpleasant life lesson with you.  I’ve no desire to be a doomsday prognosticator in sharing this life lesson. As a matter of fact, the sooner you orient yourself to this fact, the quicker you can get about the work of overcoming it and gaining some key insights.  

Here it is:  Life is hard. Sometimes exceedingly so. Life is harder for some than others, but we all have struggle seasons. I know this is not a cheery fact, but it is a fact and one that we tend to avoid and deny. We long for ease, comfort, and safety, but we’re frequently afflicted. Jesus tells as much in John 16:33 when he tells us “In the world you will have tribulation.” (KJV)

The longer it takes you to understand this, the more difficult your life will be.  

Until you realize this, you’ll spend much time feeling that you have been short-changed. You’ll feel that God and life have treated you unfairly.  Your reality will never meet your expectations, and you’ll be forever frustrated. 

There is something positive to glean from all this, however. Here’s the beauty of knowing that life is indeed hard. You’ll stop being surprised and offended and learn some amazing lessons. You’ll start to focus on the second half of John 16:33, which goes on to say, “But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”  

Challenges allow you to grow and mature. While God is not the author of all our hurt and confusion, He never wastes our calamities. He is building character, depth, and maturity in you through the trial. 

You learn to lean on others. You’re gonna have to fight, but you don’t have to fight alone. 

You gain confidence in God. You recognize that you could have never survived past hardships without his providence and direction. 

You’ll learn to worship God and find comfort in Him even when your circumstances don’t outwardly seem to speak of His presence. 

You’ll learn to say that He is indeed enough.  You’ll resonate with David’s words in Psalms 16:5 when in spite of his hardships he says, “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup, you make my lot secure.” (NIV)

You stop comparing and complaining and become aware and thankful for every blessing.  Yes, life is hard, but in spite of it all, God is good and He has been faithful.  We have much to be thankful for. 

You’ll start to understand that you can overcome challenges and there’s likely another challenge coming. You can do hard things. You can echo Caleb’s statement at eighty-five years old after he’d been wandering for 40 years through no fault of his own. Caleb asked for the next challenge. He asked for the fortified hill country full of giants, not the low-lying, easy-to-overcome territory. 

You’ll also gain great compassion for others. Once you’ve struggled, you can better show love and have empathy for those currently hurting.  You can embody the love of Christ in ways you couldn’t before your struggle. 

So if you’re hurting today, I am so sorry, but you can make it!  Keep walking, keep trusting, and keep fighting. Life is hard, but God is greater than your struggles and you will overcome!  You’ll be able to walk out the command of Romans 12:21: “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” (KJV)

Paul is the husband to his wonderful wife Cherith and father to his amazing daughters Averi, Baleigh, and Charlotte.  He’s been blessed to serve at The Pentecostals of Cooper City in beautiful South Florida for the past 18 years in various roles, and currently serves as Executive Pastor.