You can do it. You are not alone.

EVERYONE’S LIFE is hard. Yours, mine, everyone’s. I don’t care how much money, power, or stability you have. Sooner or later trouble breaks through.

Anyone can get sick or have an accident. Eventually, we all feel sorrow, humiliation, shame, or betrayal. Trying to avoid pain at all costs only makes it worse.

Even the King of kings was not exempt from the trials of human life. Faith in Jesus doesn’t mean you live in a fairy tale — not at all. You know full well that life can get messy, even bloody sometimes.

Still, nobody wants to suffer. Who volunteers to go to the cross? But when you follow the Son of Man, you discover a great secret, the finest pearl. Through him, God shows you how to navigate life with heaven as your destiny.

Today, hard issues are ramping up fast. We need guidance more than ever. Jesus embodies the full wisdom of God. And what does he tell us? I believe one of his core messages is this:

You can do it. I am with you.

God wants us to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And to love him is to trust him. But he doesn’t want lifeless robots. He wants sons and daughters. He wants you to be the best version of yourself possible.

Humans have great strength and resilience — more than you can imagine. And when our God given gifts are infused with the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. So you can get through this thing called existence, and even if death comes knocking, you embrace life.  

In some ways, things are even harder when you choose to follow the Lord. His standards are high. But that’s okay. Why? Because this keeps you humble. It keeps you real.

You aren’t afraid of the weakness and faults in yourself and in others. Human fragility doesn’t scare you since you’ve come to know the mercy of God. You know intimately how forgiveness opens the door to salvation.

This gives you great confidence, and it lightens your load. Human misery doesn’t tangle you up. Instead, you seek goodness. The Spirit lifts you out of the mud, cleanses you, and sets you free.

Meanwhile, the devil desires eternal condemnation. So much of the world focuses on the blame game now. The world works by force or manipulation to put things into place. They want to see their enemies burned at the stake. And even many Christians worship at this profane altar, refusing to love their enemy as the Lord commands.

But the true follower of Christ desires mercy and eternal life for all. The Lord raises his wounded, resurrected hand. He silences the accuser. The Lord says: By my blood I set them free.

Yes, we can choose to reject his mercy, but the final judgment is God’s alone. So let our hearts be like the Lord’s, desiring mercy, not sacrifice.    

Reach deep into your faith. Find the Spirit there. No matter how nasty things get, trust in the Lord. Remember his love.

Dig into the archives of your faith and give thanks for all he has done for you. Be nourished by his teachings and his Word. You are limited and imperfect, but the Spirit of God dwells in his children. Never underestimate this.

This means you can be good. It means you can persevere. You can be healthy and free. Instead of conflict, worry, and fear you can be solid and steady. You can forgive. And yes, if needed, you can even go to the cross. Have faith that in all things, the Lord prepares the way.

Even in the most painful, difficult moments, even in the face of death, the Spirit of truth will sustain you.

And his truth is this: Jesus is the resurrection and the life.

Follow him and you too will rise up to face your trials with clarity and strength. You will take courage. And you know that on the last day, the Lord will raise up his sons and daughters to eternal life.

So seek him. Be silent, be still. Be filled by his Holy Spirt. Return to health and joy. Then go forth to proclaim — in your actions and words — the eternal truth of Christ Jesus.

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Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

John 16:12-15

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