Endured

The journey of faith is tough.  There was I time that I didn’t believe there was an “enemy”. I didn’t really think that there was a being “out there” that impacted my daily walk with God.  I could not have been more wrong.  The enemy doesn’t want us to be happy.  He wants us to wallow in our grief, forgetting our faith and losing our hope.

“The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy;

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10

We don’t like change.  We don’t like it because we are not in control.  We want to have a say in what happens in our lives.   The enemy likes to take advantage of fear of change, so when it happens, we spiral, question, and crawl into our pit.

Please don’t get me wrong, there is a time for grief and mourning.  I’ve been there, I know pain, I know how it feels to be in a dark pit, but Jesus didn’t die on the cross for us to stay in that pit.  God didn’t raise his Son from the dead for us to live in darkness.

“…a time to weep and a time to laugh,    a time to mourn and a time to dance…”  Ecclesiastes 3:4

Friends, I encourage you to push through your grief.  We all go through the process in different ways and within a different time frame, but if you feel like your grief has kept you from laughing and dancing for too long, find help, through a counselor or pastor trained in grief counseling. Seeing a counselor doesn’t exhibit weakness, but great strength, by acknowledging you have a need and you are tired of pretending everything is okay.

Do not allow the enemy to steal your joy any longer.  Do not allow him to keep you in your pit of despair.  This is his greatest desire, to keep us from living the joy-filled life to which we are called.

*Side note:  This was written with no one in particular in mind.  I write what I feel God has laid on my heart, most of the time sharing from personal experiences.