This is the final installment of the “Moving Forward” series. If you missed the first two posts you can read them here:
- Part I (Moving forward, getting unstuck)
- Part II (Three things that help move us forward in hard seasons)
Today I’m sharing three more lessons I’ve learned about difficult times and moving forward through them. Take heart, you can get through this.
Seasons Change. Be Rational. Hard Seasons Don’t Last Forever
When faced with the challenge of getting through hard times, it’s easy to let anxiety and a “woe-is-me” attitude to spin completely out of control into something irrational. I’ll admit that, for me, irrationality and ranting feel really good. It takes a lot of strength to remain rational and speak truth over the lies (more on overcoming lies here and here.) that encroach on us during a trial. Sometimes it feels really good to just give in and let your anxiety fly.
Maybe it’s just me.
At any rate, getting through hard times requires rationality. To move forward during a difficult season you must keep your head on. Remember the verse cited in Part I?
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:8-10
The Greek words translated “alert” and “sober mind” tell us to be watchful, calm, collected, with a quiet spirit. Additionally, John 8:44 tells us that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. To resist him is to resist the lies that will vie for your attention and belief during a trial. You can only do this when you are “alert” and of “sober mind.”
Dispel lies. Remind yourself of what’s true. This will end. Hard times, difficult seasons–they don’t last forever. Seasons don’t last forever. Every day survived is another day closer to the end of this chapter. You are surviving, you are moving forward, you are not alone.
Write truths down when they come to you. Find them in the Bible. Tell a friend you are struggling and have them help speak truth into your situation.
Set Realistic Goals While Getting Through Hard Times
In Part II of this series I presented three of the six lessons I’ve learned about moving forward through difficult times. One of the lessons is that progress looks different during a trial. If you haven’t read that, go here first.
In my own life I’ve found that there are stages to every difficult season. First there’s a period of triage. I take on a “stop the bleeding” mentality to simply get through each day. Meeting all basic needs is a win during this time.
After that, things stabilize as it becomes clear this tough time is going to cling for a while. At this point continuing to triage only seems to make the days last longer. On top of that, I become frustrated because I can’t go back to my “normal” activities, but I don’t want to sink deeper into a rut.
That’s where defining some realistic goals comes in. Simple, realistic goals will help you continue to move forward as you are getting through hard times.
During Derek’s most recent deployment, while I was facing unrelenting morning sickness and restrictions from the pandemic, he encouraged me to set some goals to steer my focus away from the hardship and onto something else. Putting my mind to something else (while extending grace and being realistic) allowed me to move forward and eased a bit of the pain of trial. It felt like walking through sludge, but eventually I saw that I was becoming less stuck and taking strides forward.
I felt empowered as I saw progress being made. Hard seasons give us very little control, but setting small goals can give a sense of authority back to us. Here are a few examples of my realistic goals from the last month of Derek’s deployment. (Most are house related, remember…we were social distancing.) They aren’t glamorous, they aren’t earth-shattering, but they helped me see that I was moving–even during a hard season. (More on godly goal setting here.)
- Clean the windows
- Go for four walks each week
- Clean cabinet doors
- Remove wall paper from the second floor
- Review Matthew chapter 5 (something we had memorized, but I let lapse)
- Paint something with Gideon
Look For Lessons–Don’t Waste This Season
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
james 1:2-4
Have faith. God will walk you through this. And in my experience, He has never wasted a trial.
I believe God’s heart hurts when we are hurting. But let’s not forget that He is our Redeemer. The God that is able to redeem us from sin and death can redeem even our darkest hardships. He is our Creator. Surely, the One who created everything from nothing can create beauty from trial.
He can. He will. I’ve seen it happen.
Over and over God has been faithful to transform my ugliest trials and most difficult seasons in life into something lovely. When we let Him lead the way through the storm He’ll bring us into the calm with a wild, exciting testimony to share. He will teach us things that will equip us for next time, empower others, or just inspire us to rave about His Might.
When getting through hard times, listen closely for God’s voice. It’s there. Tune your ear to Him–instead of your fear or lies or anger or anxiety or distress. Those voices are loud–but God’s is calm and reassuring. He isn’t going to leave you, He will restore you and redeem you.
Remember God is the Good Guy When Getting Through Hard Times
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Psalm 46:1-2
Friends, whatever you are facing–or whatever you will face–know that God is the hero, not the villain. He is for you. He has already gone to extraordinary lengths to offer you Salvation and Redemption. God has been faithful and will continue to be faithful. He is unchanging. Take heart. (Unsure about God’s kindness? I used to be too. Read this post.)
What has helped you get through a hard season? I’d love to connect with you on Instagram or Facebook. Come be part of a community seeking to live life with intentionality and through a Christ-centered lens. If this strikes a chord with your heart, please remember to share. Thanks for being here.
