Keep Going

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” — Galatians 6:9

Doing the right thing can be hard. Sometimes it feels impossible. Sometimes we don’t even know what the right thing is or we begin to question a God-given task that feels too heavy for us to lift–or maybe futile in some other way.

What do we do when the right thing seems like the hardest thing?

Of course, we can always turn to Jesus. So, we do that. We pray and we try to have faith. Yet, we are human. We get tired and our emotions get the best of us. We listen to the wrong voices–the voices that make us question the will of God or our ability to do what we are supposed to. Or we start making excuses for wrong doing because it’s easier that way.

Sometimes, the best way to deal with hard times is to offer encouragement to others. What would I say to someone else who felt like they were growing “weary in well doing?”

I would say, “keep going.”

I know what these things feel like. Sometimes I feel like giving up. Whether it’s dealing with new challenges as a parent, in relationships, or an on-going struggle against sin, sometimes I feel like it’s just too much. Then, I look back over other hard times and how the Lord has proven faithful during these times. Something good comes from life’s challenges, and eventually I see that troubles I used to find very challenging have become easy. Some are still hard, but they are manageable. So, it’s not that I have not grown in strength or overcome challenges, it’s that the Lord is putting more weight on. It’s time to get a little stronger. It’s time to go after some of those more stubborn sins or other personal struggles.

This is painful, but it is a good thing. Keep going.

Consider what Jesus is trying to communicate to you. What areas of yourself might he be forcing you to take a closer look at? What sins might you have previously justified that he is causing you to face? What thing in your life has held a place in your heart that only Jesus should occupy? How is this going to strengthen your faith? How is this going to make you more like Christ?

Sometimes we face difficulties because the Lord is working on deep issues of the heart. When we look at ourselves honestly and humbly, we might see that the difficulties we face are chastisement. We are stuck in a loop of thoughts and behaviors because we are being convicted of sin. Until we face ourselves, we won’t find any peace no matter how much we justify our wrong doing or find someone else to blame.

Sometimes life is just hard, and we aren’t being chastised at all. Sometimes we face difficulties because the Lord is strengthening us for something to come. Whatever the reason, believe that this trouble is meant for your good.

If we keep going, no matter what the struggle might be, we will eventually see the fruits of our labors in Christ. It’s not futile. It’s not in vain. Nothing God purposes is in vain.