darkest before the dawn

ever heard the phrase: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. or how about: no pain, no gain. do people really believe this anymore? cause i'm starting to wonder.

all around, i see people facing hard times. i know its just a season. and the bible promises that when we stand firm on our right foundation, God will bring us through whatever storms may come. but the surprising thing to me has been to see how many people just crumble, or choose to give up, run away, quit, cash in their chips, cut their losses, at the first sign of pain or difficulty or sacrifice. rather than press on through. rather than persevere. rather than overcome. rather than faithfulness. rather than trust. 

this frightens me, because what i am really seeing is weakness growing. 

the bible says that trials and tribulations bring about purity and patience in our lives. and that we should consider it joy to go through difficult situations, because that means we are going to grow and develop character, perseverance, faith, and hope - deeper and stronger than we ever could have without it. i admit, that's a tall order. joy in the face of despair? peace in pain? rest in chaos? but thats what He's asking for. 

did you know that winter wheat roots grow twice as deep as spring wheat roots? could it be that the colder and harsher the outside elements, the deeper we have to dig to connect to our source of life? and in the end, thats what makes us stronger.

ultimately, it all comes down to where our eyes are. if we are looking at our problems, they seem BIG. Impossible. Hopeless. but, if our eyes are where they should be, fixed on Jesus - the author and perfecter of our faith - then everything else would be small in comparison. that's what it means to magnify the Lord. we can't make Him bigger than He already is. but we can begin to perceive Him as big as He is when we focus our attention to Him, above all other things. focusing on our problems is like taking a magnifying glass to look at a speck of dirt on the ground. but if we're always looking down, making our problems seem bigger than they are, how are we supposed to walk? what we should be doing is facing up, looking to the skies. Take a telescope and check out the stars instead. See the vast beauty of creation, and let it remind you that your Creator is bigger than it all!


I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
       he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you—
       the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
       nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
       he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
       both now and forevermore.
-Psalm 121

just remember. it always gets darkest before the dawn.