If you are struggling, I want to share this with you.

• By candidasullivan
• July 5, 2024
• No Comments

I am struggling, too.

When I started this journey with the Lord, a part of me believed that if I followed the Lord, tried my best, read my Bible, and prayed daily, troubles wouldn’t come upon me. Somehow, I believed I could escape problems by being close to Jesus. But that’s not true.

We can read Job and the Book of Daniel to see that God doesn’t prevent us from having problems, but He will help us through each one. He might not prevent us from entering the fire, but He will accompany us.

Sometimes, the harder I try, the more problems I seem to have. It feels as if the enemy hits me with a new problem every day. It can be so frustrating.

The enemy tries to see if he can break us, so he increases the pressure when we already feel overwhelmed by it all. But it’s in the breaking and the test of it all that we get to decide what we will do. How do we react when we feel broken, overwhelmed, and stressed?

Do we use our tears to give up or fight back?

Yesterday, I was really struggling. I’m trying my best to do what the Lord wants me to do and move forward with the work He puts on my heart. I had spent my holiday working, trying to create new content. But when I uploaded my video after spending so many hours creating it, nothing happened—not one view. The platform didn’t show my video to anyone.

In fact, in the last few days, it’s as if they are punishing me for all of my hard work. My views have dramatically decreased, and I am frustrated and overwhelmed by it all. Why should I work so hard if it won’t reach anyone?

Then, God reminded me of why I do it. He told me to create the videos. That’s my job. Who He chooses to show them to is His business. I can get frustrated and quit. That’s what the enemy wants. Or I can decide not to give up, follow my Lord, and give it everything I have to offer. I might die trying, but I won’t let the enemy discourage me or talk me into quitting.

I realize that sometimes, we need experiences to share. We won’t have the experience to help others if we never struggle. Some people think we are supposed to step on other’s toes with the truth, but God called me to walk in their shoes.

It’s easy to stand and point fingers and try to expose the sins of others. But the real power is when we share the testimony of overcoming.

Pretending to never struggle with anything doesn’t connect me with other people. It makes other people feel even more alone. But when we open our lives and show others that we are struggling too, it unites us.

Recently, someone shared their struggle with me. After she finished, I said, I am going through the same thing. The relief on her face was touching, and she told me it made her feel better knowing she wasn’t alone.

The Bible contains many stories of struggle and victory. Sometimes, I read the words of others and feel them in my soul. Our problems are universal. As long as we live in this world, we will experience hardships. It’s what we decide to do with our hardships that truly matters.

We can hide our struggles and pretend they don’t exist. Or we can share them with others and extend a beautiful gift of understanding and love. Sharing our struggles and then our faith and trust in God gives other people hope.

When I was going through testing, the doctor mentioned some very scary possible diagnoses to me. I was terrified. The enemy was using my fear to try to destroy my life. While I was down, he was kicking me. Then, I shared it with one of my friends. I told her of my possible diagnosis and how scared I was. When she told me she had both, and God helped her with it all. It gave me such HOPE.

If you are struggling, sweet friend, I pray that God will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding and that you will use your tears to reach out to God. He has exactly what you need. And when He brings you out the other side of your trial, He will use your testimony to help someone else.

If you enjoyed this, please share it with someone else.