This life is filled with trials isn’t it? I’ll be the first one to admit that for much of my earlier life, I thought joy was an intangible word that showed up in Christmas carols. I wanted to experience joy, but I wasn’t sure how. On a recent episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective podcast, I talked with Tammy Whitehurst about how she has found joy in the journey. If you missed that episode, you can listen (Hope for Moving from Trials to Triumph – Episode 98). We could talk about joy for weeks and months and still not exhaust the topic. Today she’s sharing with us how to achieve strength through the struggles.

Strength Through the Struggles
By Tammy Whitehurst

Some people say what doesn’t kill us will make us stronger.
In that case, some of us can bench press Buicks!

Hello, my name is Tammy Whitehurst and my life has not been all sunshine and cinnamon rolls, red hots and roses. I have certainly dealt with life’s fire ants, flies, and free-will fiascos. Let’s talk today person to person, virtually face to face about how to have a hope-filled perspective: how to achieve strength through the struggles.

Now that we have that behind us, let me just say to you that life’s burdens have been carried on my shoulder’s just like yours.

Take a deep breath and exhale.

Sometimes life doesn’t make sense. We wrestle, worry, wonder and even fear what might happen next. It feels like life is dumping dirt on us by the truckload and we don’t have time for it and more than anything, we do not like it.

We are told everything will be okay. We bite our lip and wonder if it really will. It doesn’t feel okay, it doesn’t sound okay, and it doesn’t look okay no matter how we slice it. We all have those days when our emotions swing back and forth between faith and fear—peace and panic. One moment we think we have it all together and we can deal with what is happening and the next we are falling apart.

I hear it all the time. I have been guilty of saying it, “I don’t have time to fall apart.”

When you feel like you are going to fall apart, fall into the arms of Jesus. He has you in the palm of His right hand. His eyes never leave you and most of all He loves you. It is the place you will find refuge. His amazing grace can do amazing things in our lives.

I know yesterday was hard. Today is hard. And maybe you are worried that tomorrow will be hard too. I want to remind you of a powerful scripture found in the book of Isaiah.

“No weapon formed against us shall prosper…” Take note, it doesn’t say weapons won’t form.

7 Things We Know that Help us Move Forward in Faith

We don’t know all the answers when life hits us hard. It is then we must concentrate on what we DO know–not what we do NOT know.

WE GO FORWARD IN FAITH KNOWING….

1. We KNOW we are created to make a difference.
2. We KNOW we are to be the salt and light.
3. WE KNOW WE ARE TO BE IN THE WORLD NOT OF THE WORLD.
4. We KNOW God instructs us to fear not because He is always with us.
5. We KNOW we were created for such a time as this.
6. We KNOW where our help comes from—the maker of heaven and earth.
7. We KNOW we must wait it out because God’s word tells us….

Those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

In my life I have learned many valuable lessons. I was never promised the mountains wouldn’t be hard to climb. The rivers wouldn’t be tough to cross, or the valleys wouldn’t be a breeze to go through. I have also learned life doesn’t get easier, but we get better at it when we turn our eyes upon Jesus.

 

 

Tough times don’t last forever. Tough people do!

Grab hold of the hem of Jesus garment. Hang on tight. Be assured His grip don’t slip.

It’s not easy, but we will get through whatever life has thrown our way when we lean on Him.
He is brighter days ahead.
He is peace that surpasses all understanding.
He is strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

From this day forward join me in taking a stand.

Wake up —stand up— and tell the negative committee that meets in the boardroom of your mind to sit down and BE QUIET!

Today is the day.
A fresh start.
A new beginning!

When it comes to life the way I see it: It’s not about us—it’s all about glorifying God!

Live fearfully? I think not. Let’s live bravely, boldly, holding on to life with both hands and riding it out with a skip in our step, a twinkle in our eye, and joy in our heart. We didn’t throw in the towel—we used it to wipe the sweat from our brow. Then on the day God calls us home, let’s slide into home base weary, worn out, but not washed up. As we look into the eyes of our Savior He says, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

(Tipping my coffee cup at you now.)
Let’s talk soon,
Tammy

We’d love to hear how you have found strength through the struggle in the comments below.

About Tammy Whitehurst:

Author, and full time speaker Tammy Whitehurst encourages and challenges audiences to live life kicked up a notch. She has been described as a hoot with a capital H! While she is the co-owner of the Christian Communicator’s Conference, a training conference for speakers, to those who know her best she is simply Davis’s wife, a proud mom to four grown kids, and a former middle school teacher. She struggles like the rest of us with dust, dishes, cellulite, junk drawers, and wrinkles.

Connect with Tammy Whitehurst: Website / Facebook / Christian Communicators / Joy for the Journey Podcast