“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him; bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
– Colossians 1:9-12 (ESV)
Life has been hard lately.
We’re in the process of moving from our home of almost 29 years in North Texas to Plum Prairie Ranch in Kansas.
Mired in the messy middle of a dozen DIY projects in Texas with more on the other end in Kansas, it’s easy to give in to discouragement.
We’ve been at this for years. I’m not exaggerating, and it’s exhausting.
When I started this blog in 2017, part of my vision was to chronicle the many DIY projects we had on our slate.
But when it takes you years to get from “before” to “after,” it’s hard to keep the blog posts coming. The progress is slow and it definitely feels like three steps forward and two steps back.
Why?
Because not only do the projects take waaaaayyyy longer than we expected, but all too often we have to backtrack and fix something that didn’t come together quite right.
The end result is okay, but it was a frustrating, grueling process to get there.
I’ll give you an example. Right now, I just finished the last stretch of concrete countertops in the kitchen.
After the final pour cured and I brushed on a coat of sealer, I noticed one of my hairs stuck in the concrete. You could see it up close or from just the right angle.
Light sanding didn’t work to remove all of it, so I had to go after it with several rounds of sanding.
Then there was an obvious uneven spot in the counter about the size of a baseball.
So I got out the patching compound, mixed it with the white colorant we used to lighten the color of the counter, and smoothed it out. But when dry and sealed, it was noticeable darker than the rest of the counter.
I’ve sanded, patched and sealed the area 4-5 times, and I’m still not happy with it. But it’s time to adopt the “good enough” philosophy and move on.
In the last two months, we’ve finished two tiling projects, prepped and painted multiple areas, replaced most of the flooring in the house, and continue to declutter, pack up and move 28+ years’ worth of belongings. Plus, there are more projects on the Kansas end of the equation.
… and it’s no wonder I feel exhausted and overwhelmed.
Okay, yes, I’m venting/whining, but I’m getting to a point here.
Perseverance
The point is perseverance.
Shawn, a.k.a. the Fix-It Farmer, reminds me often, “This is a hard season.”
What is required to get through a hard season?
Tapping into God’s strength to persevere.
Examining the passage at the beginning of this post, I love how The Message version phrases it:
As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul – not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us. – Colossians 1:10-11 (The Message)
“Strength to stick it out over the long haul” is perseverance.
Perseverance that brings peace and joy is “not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives.”
Wanting to understand these verses better, I also went to Matthew Henry’s commentary available on biblegateway.com.
Matthew Henry was an English Presbyterian minister in the late 1600s to early 1700s who is best known for his Commentary on the Whole Bible, a verse-by-verse, devotional exposition of every book in Scripture. The book had a profound impact on British revival leaders like John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield.
Here’s what Henry wrote about these verses from Colossians 1:
To be strengthened is to be furnished by the grace of God for every good work, and fortified by that grace against every evil one; it is to be enabled to do our duty, and still to hold fast our integrity. The blessed Spirit is the author of this strength, for we are strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inward man. The word of God is the means of it, by which He conveys it; and it must be fetched in by prayer (emphasis mine).
The special use of this strength was for suffering work: That you may be strengthened unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. He prays not only that they may be supported under their troubles, but strengthened for them: the reason is there is work to be done even when we are suffering…
I don’t think about tapping into God’s strength when things are going along smoothly. I’m looking for a strength beyond my own when times are tough.
How to tap into God’s strength
Here are some ways I’ve found to tap into God’s strength, and I’m preaching them to myself over and over again:
1. Read God’s Word
As Henry says, it is critical to unlocking God’s strength in our lives.
Hebrews 4:12 says that the “word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Because it is living and active, God’s Word is one of the primary ways He changes my bad attitude and selfish motives AND the most frequent method God uses to speak to us today. We know God through the Bible.
2. Pray
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6-7
When I feel anxiety or frustration bubbling up to the surface, I want to turn the situation over to the Lord in prayer.
I’ll be honest here. Prayer isn’t always my first response to worry or anger. But if I’m spending dedicated time praying daily, I am more likely to turn to God throughout my day with quick pleas for help.
Prayer also opens my eyes to the ways Christ is at work around me. And that’s fuel for “the glory-strength of God” in my life.
3. Fellowship with other believers
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:23-24
The Bible is the story of God reconciling people to Himself through Jesus. Throughout Scripture, we see God calling people together to worship, pray, learn and serve others. To live the Christian life, we need Christ and we need other Christians. He rescues us from sin and meaninglessness one by one, but He calls us to practice our faith in community with other believers.
Which brings me to my next point…
4. Serve
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Galatians 5:13-14
Those who put their faith in Jesus learn about Him primarily through the Bible, as I mentioned earlier. But what about those who don’t know Christ or who have drifted away from their faith?
Often they are drawn to God through the uncommon kindness and encouragement of those who believe.
I went to Google and looked up the quote:
“Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some person ever reads.”― William J. Toms
And serving others includes both Christians and non-Christians.
Can I confess something here?
Serving others often takes me out of my comfort zone. Sometimes it turns out way better than I could imagine, and sometimes I’m disappointed by my lack of apparent impact.
I need to remind myself that the outcome is in God’s hands. My job is to go where He leads me, following the example of Christ.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45
5. Rest
Never underestimate the power of rest.
I’ll be honest. In this hard season the practice of rest has been sorely lacking. There is always more to do with projects, packing and planning.
But I need to make rest more of a priority in my life.
Rest helps me connect with God and prevents burnout.
Everyone knows that sleep is critical to our physical health, but taking time to rest in God is critical to our soul health. This is why God tells us to practice a Sabbath rest, when we intentionally focus on Him and trust that He will supply all our needs.
Jesus says, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30
The glory-strength of God
So by turning again and again to these five practices, I draw closer to the Lord who turns my heart and mind to Him and how He’s working in my hard seasons.
I can trade frustration for joy, anxiety for peace, disappointment for hope, and exhaustion for the grace only God gives.
I think it’s a process that continues throughout my life, no matter what the season. Hard seasons just give me more urgency to grab hold of that “glory-strength of God.”
I want to close by praying this paraphrase of The Message version of Colossians 1:10-11 for you, dear reader, and for me:
Lord, please help us have the strength to stick it out over the long haul. We don’t want the grim strength of gritting our teeth but the glory-strength only you can give. Give us strength to endure the unendurable. Help us know your joy in this hard season. We thank you for making us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that you have for us.
Amen.
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