Heavenly Focus

Life can throw some real challenges at us. The question is: How do you respond when things get hard?

It tells us in the Bible that this life is not promised to be easy. Although we know this truth, we still sometimes expect life to be easy because we're Christians. If God is on our side who can be against us, right? That's actually where we get it wrong. Because we are walking with God and doing the right things, Satan tries to do everything he can to stop us. If we get to heaven, he loses. There's a lot that goes on without us even realizing. When challenging situations arise, it's easy to feel discouraged. Why didn't I get that job? Why does everything seem to be going wrong? We're always so quick to wonder why something didn't work out the way we wanted it to. Sometimes we have to take a step back and trust what God is doing.

Everything nowadays has become so instantaneous. The other day, I placed an order on Amazon in the morning and my package was on the front porch by the end of that same day. It's almost like we expect everything to be given to us as soon as possible. The thing is that God will do things in His own timing. His perfect timing. He won't always give us an answer to our prayers as quick as Amazon can deliver us a package. God knows that sometimes it's important for us to wait for Him. And while we wait... Our faith is tested. The enemy tries to attack us. We start to wonder why. Our walk with Christ can be hard at times.

"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus shared this truth with his disciples as He was preparing them for His crucifixion and resurrection. He knew exactly what was about to happen, but He had to prepare His disciples for what was to come. At first, they were confused by what Jesus was telling them, but they soon understood. This verse is referred to a lot still in this day. Back then, these words were incredibly timely, and they still resonate just as strongly thousands of years later. We are still experiencing trials and sorrows in the world today. Definitely not the same trials and sorrows that Jesus and the disciples would have experienced. Knowing that Jesus is omniscient, I wonder if He said this knowing exactly how relevant it would be for years to come. Think of the trials that you are facing right now. How are you handling the situation? Are you trusting God or are you trying to fix things on your own? Remember that no matter the situation, we are called to take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. Everything that you are facing right now has to submit to Him. There isn't anything that God can't handle. He's a God that rewrites history.

Have you ever heard the phrase you're walking on thin ice? I recently had an experience involving some thin ice. My sister's family and I were planning to take a walk on her in laws' frozen reservoir to watch the sun set. My sister said they had done it earlier in the week and it had looked so nice that she wanted me to take that walk with them. We had approached the reservoir after her husband and the kids - there were already most of the kids skating on the ice and having a great time. Upon stepping on the dock, we noticed that there was a little water over the ice for just a few feet before meeting up with the rest of the reservoir. After some reassurance from my brother in law, we decided to still go through with our plans for walking and watching the sun set. My sister went first and seemed a little unsure. I figured that if the kids were skating and she had successfully made it out that the ice was fine. I stepped out onto the ice and immediately heard it creak. Thinking it was just a passing sound, I decided to take a few steps closer to the rest of the family. Once again, I heard the ice make another sound - this time it didn't seem promising. I decided to turn around and go back to the dock. I took one step towards the dock and... Splash! The ice had broken, and I had fallen into the cold water. Don't worry - the water only went up to my waist and I made it out safely. But as I was sitting in their van, with the heat blasting, I thought of something. When we are waiting for God to move, it can sometimes feel like we're walking on thin ice. We take a few steps and listen to the ice creak, wondering if it's going to break after the next step we take. We can choose to turn back because we're afraid to keep going forward. But what if the ice breaks? We'll just be stuck right where we have been leading up to the moment we stepped out onto the ice. Our only other choice is to keep moving forward towards the ice that is thicker and more stable.

"I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14

This verse was written by Paul. Paul who used to be Saul. Who was bitten by the venomous snake. Who was persecuted for being a follower of Christ. He faced these trials and much more and still chose to press on. He knew what God had for him in the end and pursued it for the rest of his life. We are offered that same prize - an eternity in heaven. Going back to the ice... When we are faced with the choice to turn back and walk over the thin ice again or to keep pressing forward to reach the thicker and safer ice - we need to keep our focus on what's ahead of us. Like I thought, it might seem like a safer option to turn around and go back. But that's not always the case. As I said earlier, this life is not promised to be easy. We are constantly faced with challenges. The way we respond to them is important. Of course, we should pray to God and ask for His guidance. The problem is that He doesn't respond in the way we would expect. He waits and acts in His perfect timing. What are we supposed to do while God is working in His perfect timing? Trust and wait. Is it easy? No. Is it worth it? Definitely. We need to fix our eyes on what lies ahead and keep pressing forward. When the enemy comes around to distract us, we need to remember not to lose our focus.

Waiting for an answer from God can be hard, but His answers are always the best for us. He keeps our best interest at heart because He loves us so much. When life gets challenging, we need to remember who is paving the path for us to walk on. We should set our eyes on the things above and remember to keep pressing forward towards our heavenly prize. It may not seem easy as you are walking through your challenging season, but it is so worth it in the end when you are looking back at what God helped you endure. I've thought back to a few challenging times in my life recently and found myself being amazed at what God had done through those hard times. I was so focused on the situation itself that I never stopped to see what God was doing. Thinking back on those times now, I'm absolutely in awe of how God stepped in. If you are walking through a challenging season of life, I hope you remember to pray for God's help and trust Him in the waiting. That you will press on and reach your goal. That you will not lose your focus along the way. It may not always seem good while you are walking through your trials, but God will always turn your situations for the better.