"Someday maybe I'll "have it all together", I thought to myself. And then the untruthfulness of that statement hit me! As I grow, and learn, God will keep giving me bigger responsibilities and challenges, thus, I will not reach the point where I can say, "I've arrived, I've got this all under control!" As I think of the adults who I look up to - the ones who are serving God with their whole hearts - I realize they have challenges too. I've come to know pastors, teachers, and professors, as friends, and they've helped me realize that they are people too. People who all have their own struggles. (Having said this, I respect them more not less). Some may still have those feelings of being overwhelmed at times, or health challenges, or other trials. We all have problems! The adults I look up to, still can't say "We've arrived". They are having to depend upon God for their strength too. As I grow and learn more, there will still be that desire in me to be a better person.
The lesson is focus. Our focus must be on Jesus, not on ourselves. My focus can't be on me doing things perfect, or even on doing things well. It can't be on me having the strength to keep going, or on my failures. It's not about me, it's about relying on Jesus!
I believe that Satan is doing everything he can to try to distract, and to discourage His workers. But why does God allow it? God allows trials to come upon us, He allows us to fail, He allows us to see our weaknesses, so that we will turn to Him, and learn to depend upon His strength. It is then that God can say to us, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9). And we can say as Paul said, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10). Then we will be able to say, "That was GOD working - NOT me!"
People are watching us. They are watching to see if we can still hang onto our faith and our Christianity, even when we are going through difficult things. For example, I have a dear friend who is going through a divorce. She didn't deserve it. She was faithful, she did all he could, he was unfaithful. She holds no resentment for the abuse she has experienced. When I see all the work she does in the church, and as a church school teacher; I see her kindness and thoughtfulness, and I realize, "That is Christianity!" That is what I want to have! That is how the Gospel works, it enables us to keep giving to others, keep encouraging others, even when we have a lot of our own difficulties to deal with! It's a Gospel that forgives, and doesn't grow bitter. It's not a Gospel of prosperity that says, "You do this and everything will work out". It's a Gospel that reaches us in our issues, not a Gospel prevents issues from coming upon us!
God can use our challenges to help us reach others. You see, it's not us reaching down to others. Our failures and weaknesses and the trials we go through enable us to reach out to others in a way that we never could have if we "had it all together". Those who haven't experienced hardships are too far removed from the reality of the toughness of life to really help people who are hurting. If you've never hurt, you can't empathize with those who are hurting. Herein I believe is the reason God allows us to suffer. That way when we reach out to others we can say "I've struggled with that sin too, I've been through a similar difficult experience, but here is what Jesus has done for me, He can do the same for you!" In this way, we give Jesus ALL the glory, because we don't have a perfect life to pride ourselves in! We are no better than those we are reaching out to!
I believe that is what Paul meant when He wrote the following words:
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power, may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed..." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
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