At some in your life you have endured hardship. So have I. We all will face troubles in this world, but what’s important is that you remember it’s only a season. It won’t last forever.
I recently came across this little gem of a verse. Hebrews 12:7-8 tells us to endure hardship as discipline. Raise your hand if you like either one of these? No one likes going through hard times and we certainly don’t like to be disciplined.
So why does God tell us to push on through the tough stuff without giving in to it? You will have your moments of wanting to wallow in your mess and bemoan the unknown outcome of your circumstances. Don’t stay there though. Push through to the light waiting for you on the other side.
Sometimes hardship happens when God is pruning you. Pruning may take something good away, but the result is a more healthy and prosperous tomorrow.
God is a good Father and He will provide discipline to take something away in your life that is negatively affecting you. Disciple happens at times when you can’t even see what you are doing is wrong.
Our problem is we confuse His pruning and discipline thinking it is all the same. And in this verse, you are asked to endure them both as the same.
In the Bible, we tend to focus on Christ having to endure the cross when it comes to the Passover story. However, that wasn’t Christ’s focus. He talked more about going back to the Father, His Father.
Pruning, discipline, hard times, rough circumstances will happen, but don’t focus on them or you will become too wrapped up in your suffering to see God in them. Choose to focus on God—not your suffering or the sacrifices you have to make to give up what you wanted.
God has a plan and He always has. Things happen we can’t understand and they always will. For those who love Him, He works the good and the bad all for good.
Don’t focus on what you lose, focus on what you gain after the loss. There will be better times and you will be more blessed on the back in than what you lost.
How has enduring hardships helped you see God at work in your life?
