When the Struggle is Real
“I don’t need refreshment, I need a resurrection.”
My friend said that to me in January as we were sitting at the local Starbucks. That statement hit me like a ton of bricks, and I have been reflecting on that statement still months later. The truth is that if I am honest, there are times that I have felt like that. Times I wasn’t sure I had anything left to give. Times I felt like God was being silent. Times I wanted to quit, because I was unsure He had anything in front of me. Times of fear, and doubt. Times of the weight of unworthiness.
Several months back, I wrote Confessions of a Perpetual Quitter. Little did I know at the time, that as I began to write that post, I would face an intense battle of wanting to quit. In my defense, I had a 2-month-old, and I was running low on sleep, and high on emotions. But the struggle was real, and I was barely walking the fine line of solid ground, and falling off a cliff. In writing the post, I began to feel like a hypocrite. How could I write a post about following His lead, when I was about to run from what He had in front of me? This is as real as it gets.
"This is as real as it gets" – have you ever been there? Click To TweetIn a way, I felt like my friend who said “I don’t need refreshment, I need a resurrection.”
During the process of writing Confessions however, God was moving in my heart to break me free from the fears, doubts, and insecurities I was experiencing, to help me understand that it is always about Him, and that I didn’t always have to see what was in front of me in order to keep walking in the direction that He leads. He helped me understand that I didn’t have to trust in seeing the clear path that He had ahead of me. All I had to do was trust in the One who created the path. He helped me to see that eventually He will make is all clear, so we can confidently say My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.
And my friends, I saw Him. Clear as day, without the weight of fears, doubts, and insecurities. The immensity of His love, beauty, wonder, and power crashed over me as I was kneeling around a cross and praying over a group of 170 women. His love is true, and His love resurrects the weary soul.
4 Facts to Remember When The Struggle is Real
I want to share with you a few important truths that helped me keep my eyes on Christ, even when I felt like I was living in a fog:
- Truth 1: Know who you can turn to who will speak truth into your life. I was incredibly blessed with a friend who listened to my feelings. Was I experiencing hurt, fears, doubts, and insecurities? Yes. And she reminded me that those feelings were not from God. If God is a God of love, peace, patience, kindness, gratitude, and joy… feelings of fears, doubts, and insecurities should never be influencers in my decision making.
- Truth 2: Don’t doubt in the darkness, what He revealed in the light. When it is cloudy, and you can’t see the sun, it doesn’t change that the sun is still there.
- Truth 3: Just like He couldn’t rise from the dead until He laid down His life, He can’t resurrect what isn’t laid down at the foot of the cross. I really got to a point where I had to say God, I have nothing else to give. My life is yours, do what you will. It was there, when it was laid down at the cross, when everything started to change, the clouds began to part, and everything became clearer.
- Truth 4: And, about those feelings of unworthiness. Those feelings may have been the heaviest on my heart. But in it all, I had to remember to take my eyes off myself, and focus on His worthiness that hung on a cross to die, and then rise from the dead so that we can all have eternal life, and live life abundantly through the power of His love. That. Is. Enough.
God, you are good. You are true, and Your word will not be shaken. Help us to trust in You even when we can’t see the way. Help us to keep our eyes on you, when we feel like we have nothing more to give. It is true that You can often give us more than we can handle, so that we have to lay our lives down at the foot of the cross. We submit to you the weights we have been carrying. These feelings of fears and doubts are not from You. We lay it all at the foot of the cross. Resurrect what is dead. Here are our lives, Your will be done. Amen.
4 Facts to Remember When the Struggle is Real Click To Tweet*Originally published July 13th, 2017
Wonderful post Jessica! So true our struggles were never meant to be carried beyond the cross but laid down at the altar in order for God to resurrect them into something better! Life without resurrection is a dead life.
Thank you Heather. I love this “life without resurrection is a dead life.” Truth!!
I love this post, Jessica, and am so honored that you chose to share it with us here at Candidly Christian. Your third truth is one that resonates deep within my soul. We have to lay it down so Jesus can pick it up.
Thank you Heather! It was a pleasure to write for CC again! The 3rd one is probably my favorite as well, and learning more and more each day (especially lately) the resurrecting power of Jesus. He really resurrects it all!
Just knowing God is there comforts me. That no matter what, God is in control. Thanks for sharing your story. I especially liked #4. So true! Blessings to you and yours!
I agree! God has it all in His hands, and that is a huge comfort for me as well. Even when I can’t see, I can trust His heart. Blessings to you as well!
So much truth! It is hard to believe in the dark that what we saw in the light is still there but that’s what faith it. Believing what we cannot see! Having a strong community who will remind you when you’re down is so important! Blessings!
Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29. 🙂
I’m so thankful for God’s goodness and His truth that helps realign my heart and mind when “I need a resurrection.” Thanks for your encouragement today, Jessica!
You’re very welcome! He is so good, and so true! Have a blessed weekend. 🙂
This is the second time I was led to your blogs the last few days and I feel like I relate so much as God has shown me the same truths to overcome fear in my life. I don’t have to see the path ahead-I can have peace when the problems aren’t solved and just trust in His care for me instead of trying to control and fix everything.
Aw! Glad you have stumbled upon my blogs! :). Fear, is a constant struggle for me in many different ways, but a struggle that keeps me leaning on Him!
Hope to have you stop by again!
Those 4 truths are so life-giving when we keep coming back to them again and again. We all need a resurrection from time to time. 🙂
Yes, and I hope that I can take my own advice again when I find myself again needing a resurrection! Blessings to you today!
wow, i am in awe of this post, so true. We do not need a refreshment, we need a resurrection.
When I read your words, the word “refreshment” felt so weak. And in truth, it is. Because Jesus didn’t get refreshed, He got resurrected! Amen. Praying for you today Terri.
Jessica, it seems that God is moving among women of faith and bloggers. My post for today is all about how God sometimes takes us from the safe harbor to lead us into deep water. Your post is so pertinent today and I found it very encouraging to know I am not the only one who goes through these times of doubt. In the end, as you said, it is all about Him. I pray that we all can abide in Him and get strength for today, because that is all we need. Thanks for sharing.
It is always an encouragement for me to know that I am not alone! Praying for you as you abide in Him!
God doesn’t resurrect our lives until we lay them down. We have to die to live, so that we are free from anything that kept us from living wholeheartedly for Him.
Truth! All truth!
Truth. All truth. 🙂
I dislike the phrase, “God never gives you more than you can handle” because he frequently does! Thanks for the post.
Yes. And I think He does that so we have to rely on Him, and not claim our own strength in the battles!
I am with you on that! That way we can not claim our strength, but His!
Love the thought that in our unworthiness we need to focus on Christ and His worthiness!!! So true!
It is, and a truth I constantly need to come back to. Thanks for reading 🙂
I love that the same power the resurrected Jesus lives in us. We all need a reminder of that sometimes!
It is truth, and I need that reminder a lot 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Very powerful post! I think truth number one is the one I like the most. I have to remember that God is a Good of love, peace, patience, and kindness and that can be hard to remember that when my feelings don’t coincide with that truth.
I agree that it can be hard to remember, and hard to feel. It is such an important truth to go back to and trust in! Thanks for commenting 🙂
I think we all need resurrection from time to time. And, I think most people battle with quitting, too. I love Number 4. That is the struggle that takes many people down. When we focus on His worthiness, it makes our worthiness more relevant and intentional.
It sure does bring people down…but thankfully He rises us up just because of who He is.
Wow! Truth number three is so on target. There is no way for him to resurrect what we aren’t willing to let die! So good!
Yeah, that #3 hit me like a ton of bricks recently. I have to keep reminding myself to lay it down!
Truth #2 is so good. I’ve heard it before and it never gets old. Thanks for sharing on Grace and Truth.
I admit that I am not sure that I have a favorite… but number 2 is a truth that I will keep coming back to! Thanks for reading!