Daily Devotional

Sometimes I think of the great difficulties others have faced and feel my own difficulties pale in comparison. The other side of that coin is to look at some difficulties that others face and think they are trivial compared to my own. Either way, this type of comparison does nothing good. It either makes us feel that our hardships shouldn’t really be that hard or makes us think that others shouldn’t be struggling with whatever they are dealing with.

I remember several years ago my wife and I were counseling with a student who was explaining a difficult situation. I can’t remember the exact situation, but it was some issue that was fairly common for a teenager. I had a moment where I thought that this student should realize that this situation wasn’t that big of a deal. Suddenly I was struck by the realization that what she was dealing with was the hardest thing she had dealt with up to that point, so for her it literally was the hardest thing she had come across.

When we face difficult circumstances, comparing ourselves to others has no profit unless we are looking at how that individual got through their difficult time. Did they cling to God? Or did they turn away from Him?
 
I don’t want to put a rosy spin on the challenging times we all face; hardship is hard. But at the same time, I know that difficulties are an opportunity to grow closer to God. When I look back at the darkest valleys in my life, I truly see that I emerged from those valleys better than how I went in. Let me be clear, I came out with more bumps, bruises, and scars, but I was better because it was during those seasons of darkness that I clung to God all the more.

I truly believe that difficulties are an opportunity to either cling closer to God or to push Him away. I can’t explain why difficulties cause some to turn towards their Heavenly Father and some to turn away, but I do know that either way we will still have to face those difficulties and I’d much rather face them with God Almighty than face them alone.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.