Struggle Bus

Love you all, praying for you,
 
Have you ever had a small child who’s on the struggle bus?  If you’re a parent, you know what I mean.  It takes patience, and consistence to lovingly hold them to the standard, and lovingly understand the context.  Have you ever been on the struggle bus?  Sometimes you are just struggling with discouragement, maybe rejection, maybe failure – maybe things just not going your way.  Maybe others who are better than you – sometimes by gifting, or natural ability, other times due to strategy, effort and diligence.  Some things you need to change, some things will never change – you won’t get taller if you are already full grown.  But there are some things you can do.  Have you ever noticed that people use words and labels that hide the truth, to make them look better or to make them feel better about themselves?  I’m just struggling with (this) right now.  No, you’re sinning.  You’re not struggling with it, you’re entertaining it, you’re choosing it.  You’re not resisting it, not evicting it – like God told you...  not hating it, like God hates it.  You’re not running from it like God said to… you’ve given it a foothold in your life, you’re reserved a place for it – like God told you not to.  If you are struggling with something.  The first thing is to tell the truth.  The lies that are the biggest problem are the lies we tell ourselves.  No matter what situation you are in, mentally, physically – there’s a part of you that accepts it, even may have become comfortable with it.  (Obviously, we are not talking about crimes like child abuse etc.)  But speaking of things common in life - most struggles are choices.  You entertain them because there is part of you desires that, or a part of it, or you have come to accept it as normal, when it’s not… maybe for the sympathy you get, or excuses you give yourself.  Sin is a struggle, because it’s easier, or its fun, it satisfies a natural desire.  Whether pride, or selfishness, or greed, or pleasure.  The problem is it’s only pleasurable for a season.  God said He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  So does that apply to everything in life?  “Some situations are not temptation.  Depression for example, or discouragement.”  But is that really true?  Certainly there are medical conditions that may be an exception but in reality no situation or condition in life, is not a temptation.  Is any condition completely outside of the realm of choice.  Sure, but there are always choices that go with it.  Is there really anything that is outside of your control that you still don’t choose your own response to it?  If life is good, the temptation is pride, as if you did it, and not God’s blessing upon you.  If your situation is dire, you can blame God, for what you got yourself into.  If it’s outside of your control completely, you could blame God for doing something that wasn’t even His doing.  Or blame God for allowing something, that happens to more people than just you – as a result of the human condition of sin.  You can trust and put your faith in Him, or you can grumble and complain, let doubt and unbelief get a foothold, and forfeit the grace and peace that could be yours.  God said He would never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  And that means He will never give you anything that you cannot bear - if you look to Him to be your strength, and put your trust sin Him to save you and bring you through the fire in victory.  It’s not if the fire will come, it’s what you do in the fire.  Do you remember that He is the fourth one in the fire with you.  Nebuchadnezzar asked, “I thought we threw three men in the flames, why are there four walking around?  When they came out, they didn’t even smell like smoke.  What about a bad day?  What’s bad about it?  Some things are common to man, sometimes it rains on your parade.  God will never give you something you cannot handle, if you put your trust in Him, if you keep your eyes on Him, and fully walk in His plans for you today.  The bad day isn’t the problem.  Everyone has them.  The problem is how we respond.  The temptation to be discouraged, or to blame instead of change, or to withdraw, or doubt or fear.  Only two reasons for a bad day.  your choices, or others’ choices.  Sometimes others make choices that affect you adversely.  They picked someone else instead of you for the team.  Or, you failed your Vocabulary test, because you didn’t study the vocabulary words until you got on the bus this morning.  That ain’t a bad day, that’s a poor choice, that’s cause and effect.  You do you! The choices of others you can leave up to God.  And even when their choices affect you – you still do you!  Do your thing!  Do what God told you!   This isn’t about them, this is about you.  God said the heart of kings are in the hand of the LORD, He directs them like a watercourse wherever he chooses.  If kings are puppets in his hand, your boss, teacher, principle, police officer, Mayor, or President is easily in his hand.  Doesn’t mean God prevents every bad thing from happening to you.  That is life – the good and bad comes with it.  But God will give you victory in everything in life.  Whether a bad day, or a bad boss, or a bad job, or a bad experience.  He will never leave you nor forsake you, he’s the fourth one in the fire.  If it’s sin, (less than Gods will or God’s best for you) you’re not struggling with it, you are entertaining it.  not resisting it, giving it a place.  Even if it’s a situation outside of your control.  Your response is either God’s best! Or less than His best.  Praying that you won’t label things in your favor.  But that you would let the truth of God give you an accurate picture of what the challenge is.  Failure can help you get better.  So you can respond with the grace that He gives you-  to count it all joy, to put your faith and trust in him… So you can overcome, get stronger, and encourage others, with the victory that you have received from Him!  Praying that you won’t say your ‘struggling’ when you’re sinning.  That you won’t say it’s beyond my control, when you can control how you respond.  Praying that you will always respond in humility, repentance, faith, diligence, and praise.  God is about to bring you through this, stronger.  It’s what being purified really means.  Nothing happens without a purpose.  What the devil intends for evil, God will turn it for your good. 
 
Love you all,
dad
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