Someone once told me about a mother who would say the same thing every time her children were worried or dreading something. She would tell them, “You can do anything for a short amount of time.” She said this to remind her kids that these things they were afraid of would pass away. The presentation would only last for ten minutes. The gym class was only one hour long.

It’s easier to do hard things when we know they won’t last forever. But what about the hard things that last for a long time? What about chronic illnesses? Or the loss of a loved one? What about unemployment that does not seem to end? How do we deal with the loneliness of divorce? Where is God in that?Well, He’s right in the middle of it with you. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Bible says that “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Love is the constant in the midst of our hard times. It is the force that is expecting better things while enduring the hard things. God’s loving presence in us makes it possible for us to bear the things that we humans don’t think we can bear.

While our troubles may be longer than a gym class, those who love God expect a new life, a better life – if not on this Earth, then in heaven. Everyone needs to know that hope. Share God’s love with those in your world who are having trouble doing the hard things in front of them.                                          This is Luis Palau.