Have you ever heard someone recall a tough time and be happy about it? Not often, right?!

 

We all go through stuff we’d rather forget. When tough times hit us without warning, it’s natural to just wish it could all be over —  immediately! Humans are built to run from trouble, and that’s actually our theme this week: How do you grind through when it’s so bad you want to die?

 

Romans 5:3-4 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

 

This is something that separates Christianity from other faiths. In the Bible, we see it all: good, bad, and everything in between. Faith isn’t handed to you like a plate of cookies.

 

Faith can be messy.

 

But it is a truism that anything worth having is worth fighting for, and waiting on. God’s timing is often very different from our own, and the story He has planned for us may follow a very narrow path. True faith is joy beyond our full understanding, and the Source of our Faith is always ready to carry us when we can’t make it.

 

That is the essence of holding fast.

 

Let’s pray. Lord, your Word tells us that You will always be with us. We believe you, and love you. Amen.