I’ve never chosen a word for the year–I’ve often said that God has much more to say to me than one word. 🙂
But a phrase that has come to mind often these last weeks is “bear up.” I can get down and whiny over not feeling well or first world problems or barren winter landscapes or several overcast days in a row or a number of other relatively minor things. I often have a harder time with these smaller trials than with the big ones. It’s almost instinctive to turn to the Lord in a major crisis and ask His grace and help. But I stumble over everyday troubles.
Yet every day can’t be sunshine and roses. We live in a fallen world. As Longfellow said in “The Rainy Day,” “Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary.”
God has said all through Scripture to expect suffering, and He tells us He uses it for our spiritual growth.
Overcast days and long winters aren’t really suffering. Sure, they can affect one’s outlook. There is such a thing as Seasonal Affective Disorder. But my “winter blues” aren’t to that extreme and can’t really compare to cancer and chemo or persecution.
Proverbs 24:10 comes to mind: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”
Yes, it is. And if it’s so small in these minor issues, what’s it going to be when a major crisis comes my way?
The second stanza in Amy Carmichael’s poem, “Make Me Thy Fuel,” says:
From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the Crucified;
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.
Softening things? Easy choices? That’s my jam. I am not soldiery. I am a wimp.
So I feel the need to learn to “bear up” under the everyday trials of life–both to be a better testimony and to become more resilient when bigger hardships happen.
I like the NKJV translation of 2 Timothy 2:3: “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
I don’t think enduring hardship means being stoic. David was a soldier, but he poured out his heart in the psalms.
Nor do we need to deny our pain or frustration or sadness, large or small. A broken toe may not hurt as much as a crushed leg, but it does hurt. However, we need God’s perspective on our trials.
Enduring hardship doesn’t mean we can’t pray or that we deal with the small stuff and only go to God with the big things. We’re told to “[cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, emphasis mine).
But we can “[look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
We can pray to be “strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy” (Colossians 1:11).
Both of those last two verses mentioned joy. What joy? The joy that someday, all trials and pain and suffering of any size will be over (Revelation 21:4). The joy that no matter what we go through, God is with His children (Isaiah 43:2). The joy that He provides help, strength, and grace (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). The joy that He uses trials to test our faith and perfect us (James 1:2-4).
In an older book titled Formula for Family Unity, Walter and Trudy Fremont shared an example of a mother trying to help her son as he gets ready to go out in the cold to do his paper route. She had an overly sympathetic attitude, saying, “Oh, honey, it’s so cold out there; I’m afraid you’ll freeze on your paper route.” The son then felt sorry for himself for having to go out in the cold. They suggest it would be better for the mother to say, “When you finish your paper route, I’ll have a cup of hot chocolate waiting and a good breakfast” (pp. 103-104). She acknowledges that his job is cold and hard, but in a way that braces him to face it.
We, too, can reframe how we think about the things that get us down. Cold, grey winter days? God is still working even through dormancy. Hard freezes reduce the number of bugs that show up in summer. I can work on inside projects or curl up with a book and a blanket.
Minor illnesses that reduce my energy for a few days? How often have I wished I could stop the normal routine and rest or read or engage in quiet activities. Here’s the perfect opportunity.
Several overcast days in a row? They make me appreciate sunshine even more. I can keep busy with pleasant or useful occupations or play uplifting music rather than focus on the grey skies.
One reason God allows trials in our lives is to draw our attention and foster our dependence on Him. I can all too easily feel sorry for myself and then feed my self-pity. Instead, I need to preach God’s truth to myself and rely on His grace and strength.
May “God . . . who comforts the downcast,” “who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (2 Corinthians 7:6; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).
(Just to be clear: I am not trying to make light of anything anyone is going through, or to say “Just grin and bear it.” I’m sharing my thought process about my own tendency to maximize smaller trials.)
(I often link up with some of these bloggers.)
Stray Thoughts 
Trials are not something that I enjoy. But, I’m glad to know that God is always with me during those times and during happy times. Have a blessed Sunday! Stay safe and warm. 🙂
I don’t enjoy trials of any size, either. 🙂 Knowing God is with me, helps me, and has a purpose in them makes them bearable. Hope you’re staying safe and warm, too!
It sure is easy to feel sorry for myself when problems are prolonged. You’ve given good examples of things that tend to get us down can serve as a need for a change in mind set. Good post!
That’s often what’s hardest for me, too–when some of these things are prolonged.
Your post makes good sense and I see myself in there. I use to think I was so strong, but I think God has been showing me how truly weak I am because I probably needed it with reminders that he is there in all the weak and good moments. So many good thoughts here on your post. I like the paperboy reasoning. As a mom maybe we do tend to overdo the babying. Makes good sense to send them out prepared. Have a good week.
I’ve had the same experience of finding out how much weaker I am than I thought. But I think God allows that so we’ll depend more on Him.
I needed this today. Thank you!
Thank you, Chrissy. 🙂
Good reminders and I totally get that you’re not trying to preach at us but encourage us. Over and over, I remind myself of the verse about “LEARNING to be content in any circumstance.” More and more I realize that we truly can learn to be content, to some degree at least. And I try reminding myself too that our trials–even the small ones–are building up a weight of glory for us in Heaven. It will be more than worthwhile to us someday. I “get” that it’s hard to see that here on Earth at times though. Thank you, as always, for your encouraging thoughts!
The verse about learning to be content is a comfort to me as well. It’s an area where we can grow. And our trials leading to a weight of glory is a comfort when I think of it that way. Too often I long for immediate relief over future glory–but I know in the end it will be worth it.
What a wonderfully written and transparent post, my friend. I found myself nodding my head to the affirmative as I read down over the examples you shared. Just this morning, the Lord and I were having a conversation about how easily I allow the circumstances around me, like the gray days without sunshine, affect my mood. I like your suggestions that you give to combat that.
Another thing that you mentioned made me stop and think…it’s about how we don’t take advantage of this time of being inside to rest but consider it an inconvenience when this summer and the garden is producing and I’m canning a lot, I know how I will wish for some space to myself to be quiet. Perhaps He would be pleased to have us lie a bit dormant also during this time of year?
I’ve often thought, when I am not feeling well over a few days, how much I would like to be up and about and doing my normal routine. But when I am doing my normal routine, I’d love to have a break. 🙂 I need to learn to appreciate the breaks God provides.
Wonderful post Barbara! Thank you for giving me more to think about on the subject of trials. This sure put things in perspective.
Thanks, Monica. I have to continually remind myself of these things.
I hear ya on this, Barbara. I inherited the family trait of catastrophizing. The older I get, the better I’m doing on this because I see how God has taken care of everything that needed caring for.
He hasn’t failed us yet, has He . . .
Catastrophizing–what an apt word! I love in the psalms when the writer is pondering over some issue at night in bed and then reminds himself of things God has done in the past. We can do that both from the Bible and from His hand at work in our lives. What a encouragement for faith for the present and future trials.
I’m with you — not having a “word” for the year or for a season. But somehow as my small group is studying James, “trials” keeps showing up. And then this post! I like your list of silver-linings when in the midst of some of the trials. It takes a certain flexibility of mind to move our goal for the time and pivot to what God has for us.
So much wisdom and perspective! I wrote a similar short piece about “cold” recently, and this week our small group was discussing this as well – that we need to train ourselves to praise God for who he is each day, so that when we face hardships and trials we will still praise him because he is still good, even when our circumstances are not. I pray I have the perseverance and patience to “bear up” no matter what life throws my way.
Such a transparent post, Barbara. It is so easy to see the worst case scenario in the midst of a challenging situation. We so need to hold onto the promises and truth of God’s Word. We need to remind ourselves daily that the Lord has not failed us yet and never will.
And thank you for sharing that “Hard freezes reduce the number of bugs that show up in summer.” With the freezing temps we have had this winter, perhaps we will have very minimal bugs 🙂
I can relate so well to not wanting to suffer even the small things, Barbara. Like you, I need to “learn to ‘bear up’ under the everyday trials of life.” I love your encouragement to reframe how we think about those things that get us down.