It won’t be long now

YOU’VE been through tough moments in your life, haven’t you? How many times? Five? Ten? Twenty? Hundreds maybe if you’re old enough. And each difficult moment seems to last forever.

It’s an aching tooth, bills piling up, a crisis with a loved one, someone gets sick, or you lose a friend. Or maybe you made a big mistake.

Stuck in the middle of it all, it’s like you’re lost at sea with no land in sight. But then, after the storm passes, you look back from dry land. Suddenly it seems like time has flown by.

Looking back, from a distance, hard times shrink in size. Why? Because you have gained perspective. You grew in experience and wisdom.

During tough times, it might seem as if God is hidden from you. Maybe you are feeling this now.

You might ask yourself… How can he exist if I am hurting and suffering so much? Where is he when I need him most? Why has he abandoned me?

Still, you seek him anyway. You call out his name. Does it feel like you’re crying out into nothingness? But in the waiting, in the process of getting through the pain, something amazing happens.

After years of resisting the wind, the roots of a strong tree sink deep into the earth. After trusting in God — trial after trial, year after year — the roots of your faith sink deep into your soul. Those who have suffered the most — yet somehow remain hopeful — understand this better than anyone. 

So remember, time will pass. Even the hardest trials will come to an end. And even if you feel God is absent, remember — child of God — his Spirit lives in you.

So dig down. Let the roots of your faith sink deep. Let your sorrow, and even your shame, be reason to seek the goodness of God with your entire being.

Do not fear the process. Watch it transform how you see yourself and the world around you. Watch it deepen your patience, your determination, and your ability to embrace others when they struggle too.

If you are in a good place now, look back and remember. Re-open the archives of your faith. Recall where the Lord helped you carry your cross with courage.

See when he cleansed your injury, especially the self-inflicted wounds. This is where his Word came alive in your life. Let these events continue to nourish and propel your faith forward. 

And if you are in a hard place now, do not lose hope. Later, you will understand the ‘why’ of it all. Nobody can explain it to you the way Jesus can. He’s been there. And he is there with you now.

Only the Spirit of God can explain this to your hurting heart. So open yourself up to him. Let him tell your spirit why. When the time comes, he will show you everything.

The promise of eternal life found in Jesus Christ is no small thing. There we find the seed of hope against all hope. It’s the code upon which everything else finds its proper perspective. And from that seed, upon that promise, your faith thrives.

Believe that your faith can be durable and strong. Let it happen to you and for you. Let it come fully alive. 

It doesn’t mean you won’t hurt. You’ll still feel the pain. But there will be meaning. There will be miracles and transformation. And even if you’ve waited for years, it will come to pass in the blink of an eye.

Just wait. It won’t be long before your soul rejoices.

. . . . . . .

Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him; so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

John 16:19-20

…

…

…

Never miss a post. Subscribe to Third Millennium Man.

Support my writing.