5 Things I Learned When Life Was Hard

This past year and a half, I’ve gone through multiple life changes.

I’ve spent the previous holidays – the 2018 season – knowing it was an elderly relative’s last time with us. Listened to the Bible in a year with her, knowing it was the last time she’d hear God’s Word and wondering if she was really listening. Sat by that same relative as she lay on her deathbed and watched her pass away.

I’ve come to an understanding that certain relationships may never be completely healed. Seen some loved ones decline in health, and I’ve seen others make strides towards better health. I’ve gained a son-in-law and seen another child start a new relationship. I’ve lost a job, gained two jobs, continue to look for different work, learned how to advertise my work better, written a book, changed which book I was writing, reevaluated my career path, realized this would be my last time doing multiple things with people I’m close to, and had to deal with trying to move an entire household out of state.

It’s been quite a year.

What has God taught me?

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5 Lessons I Learned When Life Was Hard

1.) God’s Got This.

God has taught me that every single time I’ve worried over an obstacle, He already had the obstacle beat.

I’ve learned that just feeling like God isn’t there for me does not mean that God really was not there for me. He absolutely was – each and every time.

2.) Saying The Words Aloud Helps.

I’ve learned that just saying I’ve decided to trust in God has been key to actually feeling that trust in God.

3.) God Works Miracles In All of Our Lives In Just The Right Way.

I’ve learned that one person’s miracle does not look like the next person’s miracle. God works in different ways for each of us, and God’s perfect will is best for each of us.

I would never have learned any of these things if I had not gone through all I went through this last year and a half.

4.) Life Isn’t Fair… But It Can Still Have Purpose

I’ve also learned that hardships can come through no fault of your own, and sometimes it can be harder to handle emotionally when those hardships come as the result of someone else’s poor decisions. Harder to handle only because I know it’s likely to happen again – or because I know the other person had good intentions, so I don’t feel as if I have the right to be upset… yet I still am. But I’ve also learned that even these things have a purpose in our life.

A Life Lesson from King David

I learned a valuable lesson from the life of David recently. He was thrown into chaos multiple times because of the actions of someone else – the wicked actions caused by the jealousy of King Saul. He had to hide in the wilderness, for so long that several of his children were born while he was running from King Saul.

David seems to me to have been a very emotional man. He was torn up every time someone he loved betrayed him. He didn’t always handle those emotions correctly, he didn’t seem to really open up to those around him much. He felt closer to others than perhaps they felt to him. We can see all of this in the Psalms he wrote while pouring his heart out to God.

And that’s the lesson I learned.

That through all of David’s pain and anguish, his chaos and the betrayal he felt, his fear and sorrow, whenever David turned to God, those trials turned into words that speak to us even now all these generations later.

God used those things in David’s life to bless people thousands of years into the future from David.

I believe that at the time, David had no idea that his words would be read by others or that they’d be used to bring comfort and conviction to multitudes around the earth. In a sense, without those trials and betrayals happening to David, we might not have most of the book of Psalms.

Diamond Tears

It’s as if all of David’s tears were turned to glittering diamonds under God’s hand.

And isn’t that what God tells us will happen to our trials when we give them to Him? Isn’t that what David was doing when he wrote out his prayers, and poured out his sorrows to God, asking God for help in his time of need? David was giving it all to God. David was stepping away and letting God take his hurts.

David didn’t intend necessarily for them to turn into something that others would read. He just knew he needed God.

David was using his words to remind himself that God is in control and that God is our great Comforter. And because David did that, we are reminded of it as well.

5.) It’s Okay To Pour Our Hearts Out To Jesus

This is my prayer today, that when I’m betrayed, I’ll turn to God for help. That when someone makes a bad choice that impacts my life, I’ll turn to God as my emotional support rather than turning in anger at that other person.

Join The Conversation

Do you ever find yourself pouring your heart out to Jesus, or are you more reserved? We’d love to connect with you in the comments below.

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