When things are not going well for us, we can get caught up in the midst of the problem. We can begin to feel the gloom surrounding our spirits. We can carry the worry that is in our hearts on our face as our smiles become less and less. Going through difficult times, hardships, unknowns can cause us to lose our joy, our peace, and at times even our hope. We tend to ask God why we are going through what we are going through. And some people will even get a little upset with God because of what they are going through. I know that I have caught myself a little upset before but I had to repent to God and talk to him about what I was going through and wait for him to speak back. He gave me a understanding that has brought me great joy in the midst of the chaos.

God spoke to my heart and said, “you may not understand it now, but you will in the end. I will never put more on you than you are capable of handling. Pay close attention with an open mind and learn that lesson that I am trying to teach you. Things will always work out for the better as long as you follow my advice, doing what you can do and trusting me to do the rest. You are only responsible for your actions and you can’t make anyone else do what is right.”

I know that some situations are so extreme that they are hard to be able to even think that good could come out of it. Some situations bring so much pain to us that we can not fathom the fact that it could actually turn out to be of our benefit. And I know that we can get so tired of treating people fairly and kind only to be mistreated or taken advantage of in return. The discouragement that comes along with a life filled with let downs, struggles, and failures can paralyze all hope that once filled your heart. And sometimes the chaos has lasted so long that there is nothing but darkness all around. But there is a light that we can stay focused on that will guide us and bring us victory (peace and joy).

After the Lord spoke to me that day I was able to see things differently. It gave me a new mindset about the things that we go through. Although I may not like the situation at hand and it may be very hard to endure, I am able to get through it without losing my peace and my joy. I am able to take a step back and look at the situation from the outside to gain a better perspective as well as what I could learn from it. Some times I learn that I could have handled something in a different way or that I was wrong in some way. Sometimes I only learn to never do that again. Sometimes I learn of a better way to approach certain things so that they get handled peacefully. There is always that something that we can learn from what we go through in life that will help us in the future.

When we are going through things, it is to our benefit to follow the advice that Jesus is giving us, and do what we know we should do. When we do that and trust Him to do what we are unable to do we are able to have peace about the situation, knowing that we did all that we could do and it is up to Jesus to do the rest. We are able to keep the gloom from surrounding us because of the peace that we have. We will be able to fight away the darkness with the joy that we have. And we will be able to maintain our light within us because of our trust in Jesus to work it all out.

No matter what you may be going through right now, stop for a minute and pray that God show you what you need to do, what lesson it is that you need to learn, and what good could come of it in the end. Then take a step back and look at the situation from the outside. Is there something that you could do differently to help the situation? Have you done all that you know to do in the situation? Is there anything on your heart that you should do? Are you trusting God to work it out for better of you, no matter what the end result may be? Are you hoping for the best in the situation? Are you believing in Jesus to give you what you need to endure with peace and joy in your heart? We can get through anything that life throws our way if we stay positive, do what we can do, trust God to do what we can not do, and keep our focus on the light of Jesus.