Navigating Through Difficult Seasons

Difficult seasons can leave people broken, hurt, empty and disappointed. I should know; I have been there.

Certain life situations are humbling, and challenging seasons are sometimes inevitable. Many people come from abusive homes, some go through the system, and some are neglected by the ones they trusted the most. They go through some actual trials and tribulations through their childhood through adolescent years. It is natural to compare your life to someone who has more privilege or opportunities. It is easy to think that God loves someone more than the other. That is not true. He loves us all the same; everyone’s life situation is just different.

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I have heard of real-life horror stories where people burn to death in late-night house fires or lose everything they worked for in a flood, like the victims in Katrina. I can not even begin to fathom the agony and mere pain. I remember, as a little girl in 2008, the infamous Stock Market Crash. It saddened me to watch so many of my classmates and friends move schools because their homes were foreclosed or their family car repossessed. So many people were homeless during that time in America.

Although I never understood the true depth of those situations as a child, now I realize how frail we all are. Some of us are one car accident, one scandal, one housefire, one paycheck, one hard life situation away from losing everything we hold dear to.

Looks and materials can be gone in an instant and never return.

Good looks, fame, money, materials, or even charisma are not enough to sustain a true Christian through the trials of this life (Ecclesiastes 5:10). Yes, having an enormous home or lovely materialistic items is excellent. However, that is NOT going to keep you when life gets rugged or rocky.

Let me say this- we are nothing but dust (Psalm 103:14). We can all be gone in an instant. It’s easy to believe that the things of this world are eternal or that they last forever (Mark 8:36). It is easy to have an ego or mentality of superiority and think trials will never come your way (Proverbs 16:18). But, if you live long enough, you realize that life will throw darts at anyone—regardless of race, social class, wealth, or position. I think of 9/11 in America, how wealthy businessmen to the custodians who swept the WTC were killed or injured on that awful day. But, so many lives were changed that day, and it didn’t matter if you were rich or poor.

A genuine heart for God and a true, authentic relationship with Him is the ONLY thing that will keep you when life begins to get tough (1 Peter 1:7). Some situations are humbling enough to remind us that we are nothing without God. So many of us are only here by the grace and love of God.

Unforeseen circumstances tend to remove our crooked facade and expose the core of who we are. Unfortunate situations almost always expose the integrity and stamina of the inner man.

But those real-life circumstances are rarely talked about in public. Genuine authenticity is a rare characteristic to possess. People hardly ever share their true, raw story testimony. Possibly in fear of embarrassment or to be frowned upon ( 2 Timothy 1:8).

I have vivid memories of one of the darkest seasons in my life. I remember crying constantly and feeling a sense of emptiness. Thinking my entire world had crashed before my very eyes, and everything I thought was true, was a lie. In that dark season, the only thing I had was Jesus. Jesus was the only thing that could get me to the finish line (Job 23:10)

Although I had friends and family to lean on, it was only God that kept me. It was a consistent prayer life and reading the Bible daily that helped me get through dark times. A life entangled with Jesus is the only thing that keeps people through the most challenging seasons of their life. I am a living testament to that.

Prayer works.
The Bible, a book written thousands of years ago, can speak through to anyone at any time.
Trust me on that.

I have learned that I have to pray about EVERYTHING and pray through every season, even if I’m in a season of prosperity. Every tiny thing you can imagine, I need to come to God in prayer about ( 1 John 5:15; 1 Chronicles 16:11). Especially if my feelings are hurt or if I’m in a season of brokenness. If not, I can quickly turn a small mess into an absolute disaster. I could even allow my words or actions to hurt someone that I never meant to hurt.

My feelings change often, my opinion fluctuates, and my heart can begin to shift. But never God’s. He remains stagnant forever (Hebrews 13:8). It is so important to cling to Him when life starts to get tricky.
Focus your eyes on Jesus and talk to Him often. He loves you.

Remain faithful to the precious faith, my friends!

Bri