It’s understandable to look at what’s ahead with some trepidation. Maybe as you look back you see the struggles, uncertainty, and perhaps even setbacks that have shaken your life. Sorrows and disappointments that were pretty overwhelming may still weigh on your heart. That can make the future seem intimidating.
Here’s the good news! In spite of all those things that can turn our lives upside down without warning, we have God’s never-failing promises that He will be right there at our side to guide and empower us, and to bring His peace, comfort, and faith to fill our hearts.
He’s there to help us carry on through the storms and struggles of life. He is with us to guide us to the hope and light of a new day with Him. He can even use the difficulties we encounter to strengthen us and help us move forward.
Here’s the picture: Volleys of rocks are incessantly pelting you, raining down on you. It feels like you’ve been hit by an avalanche. These rocks are the troubles and setbacks and discouraging events, the sufferings and sorrows that are a part of this life.
I think we’ve all faced those painful and potentially debilitating volleys of “rocks” of condemnation, depression, sorrow, or fear. The good news is, we don’t have to let them cripple our future. How they affect our lives has so much to do with our attitude toward them. These “rocks” we’re being hit with may be the result of distorted perceptions, misunderstandings, or wrong imaginings. Or they may be based on reality. But either way, we have a Savior who can help us dispel what isn’t real, bring a greater good from the genuine difficulties, and help us through the challenges, so that we can grow wiser, stronger, and more like Him.
When we focus on the facts of God’s promises and His love for us and our loved ones, these “projectiles” that threaten destruction will instead fall, crushed on the ground at our feet, where the rains of His love can turn them into a solid path to help us on our way.
Have you ever seen crushed limestone? It looks like dusty gravel, but when it is spread over a dirt road, something amazing happens. The rains don’t wash it away. Instead, the limestone reacts to the water by becoming a very hard surface, similar to cement, that turns the rut-prone dirt into a road that is highly resistant to water and erosion.
That’s like the transformation God can bring about in our life. When we refuse to let our troubles defeat us and choose to bring them to Him, He can show us how to turn them into determination and greater faith.