5 things to remember when you are struggling
When I look out my window and see my plants struggling and fading, I want to give up.
They are battling so hard in the Oklahoma heat.
Truthfully, they are probably battling other things that I do not even know.
I used quality fresh soil, so that should not be the issue.
I have added some fertilizer that should not be the issue.
I wait to water until I stick my finger in the soil and it is dry.
And yet they look like this.
It reminds me how someone looking from the outside with a quick look might think our lives are perfect or pretty good.
When you get up close, you see the wilt and the yellow leaves. I could see it from the window because I know my plants.
Psalm 139:1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Just like God knows you and what you need, sometimes He makes you ask.
Why?
Because He wants to know if you know what you need. There is power in knowing what you need. He might also wait because we appreciate things so much more when we have to ask for them versus when they just happen.
We credit coincidence or luck rather than our Almighty Father, who is in the details of our lives. His timing is impeccable.
We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust him more, for along with every trial, God has provided you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously.
1 Corinthians 10:13 TPT
Yahweh, you alone are my inheritance. You are my prize, my pleasure, and my portion. You hold my destiny and its timing in your hands.
Psalm 16:5 TPT
My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
Psalm 31:15 KJV
Have you ever given a child something before they ask for it?
Have you ever waited until a child asks for something to encourage them to appreciate it and understand the value of what they are about to receive?
Sorry, I digressed there, but I just could not help it.
Okay, where was I?
In our lives, things are going on that only we know about.
There is heat that is exhausting us, and there is a lack of food that is leaving us depleted.
These things are not easy to see.
One must take the time to have a conversation or ten to figure out what the issue might be.
I say all that for several purposes:
1) Take the time to converse with those around you; everyone is battling something you do not know about.
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
2) Be kind to others because everyone is battling something we do not know about.
3) When you are depleted from the children, from the caregiving, from the job, from life, from relationships, the best place to be is at the feet of Jesus. Spend some time in His words let them refill you.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
4) When you are exhausted trying to be all things to all the people again, the best place to be is at the feet of Jesus. Spend some time in His words, and let them remind you of your priorities and focus on what you can put down so you do not fall down.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart. Love him with all your soul, and love him with all your mind.
4) Don't give up
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Psalm 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.
5) Ask for help
Psalm 121:1-2
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth."
For us to bear fruit, we must be planted in quality soil.
Mark 4:8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.
We must continually feed the Holy Spirit within us. (Matthew 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”)
We must be watered with the one and only Living Water.
When we have all those things, the heat from this world might wilt us a little, but we bounce back.
All of these things take intention, and life gets busy, so grab a print or two from my shop, look at it, remember what God is capable of, and breathe.