Everyone at some point in time faces hardship. It does not matter where you come from as far as location, family history, or whatever, history has revealed that facing hardship is a common factor of human life. What is not common, however, is finding a way out of hardship and adversity in a constructive manner. Most people in the world, when faced with their demons, faced with adversity, turn to drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, self-harm, or in extreme cases, suicide. Those outlets are horrible, and people should be taught there are better methods to receive strength and help to find peace. Christians are not exempt from these lessons. Despite what has been revealed through scripture, those in the Lord’s body will either forget, or simply rely on themselves to find peace and comfort for their lives rather than relying on God for support.
Many of us have either heard from those around us or remember going to bed knowing that we are not a part of the Lord’s body, that we have in our life, and if the world were to end, we would not be in heaven. We remember how haunting it was facing that truth, but also the relief when we told our family or the preacher of the local congregation that we needed to make that bold confession of Christ, be baptized, and have our sins removed through the blood of Christ. If we remember those facts, then why is it when we face hardship, later on, we shut down and look to God? Jesus made the statement in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” This statement is not teaching to come to Jesus and He will give you rest only when you are considering becoming a Christian, but all the time. We can also reference 1 Corinthians 10:13, which uses the present tense to explain that God will not let you suffer alone, but when temptation comes your way, He WILL give you an escape route.
Similar to God always being there to support us, scripture tells us that when times get tough, we can rely on those around us for support. We have passages such as Ecclesiastes 4:10-12 which tells of the strength that comes when we stand with like-minded people instead of standing alone, or Hebrews 10:23-24 instructing that we should consider one another to stir each other up. Also, Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” However, we always need to be careful with whom we align ourselves. First Corinthians 15:33 so infamously warns that evil company corrupts good morals.
The sole point of this article is that we should remember that we are not alone. You may be suffering, wondering how you will get through the day and that is understandable, but you don’t have to go through this alone. Consider reaching out to those around you, and you may be surprised how helpful your brother can be. Most importantly, when you are suffering, looking for any sort of help or relief, remember that there is one who always has your best interest at heart, and wants nothing more than to take away your sorrow. That is our great God in heaven, who knows greater than any person on earth.
Oren Caskey
