The New Year is on the horizon. New health routines, eating regiments, and exercise plans might already be on your to do list for January 1. Along with a new year comes the idea of a fresh start, a renewed perspective and a desire to make the coming year better than the one gone by. If you are anything like me, you’ll make your list, plan how to execute it and hope and pray for the best year ever.

After a year of health issues and hospitals I was determined to make 2014 better than 2013.  As we rang in the New Year, I was pulling into the emergency room with my sweet middle child. My heart was heavy and I was discouraged. I could not understand why God was allowing this. We had just come through a long six months of my husband being very ill. He was finally recovering and now my daughter had a serious case of pneumonia. Why was God allowing this? Did we do something wrong? Was the devil attacking? I still don’t know the exact answer to these questions that swirled around in my heart, but I do know what I learned through out the process of continual circumstantial issues. If you are continually going through difficult circumstances, I hope this will be an encouragement to you:

1. When problems come, playing the blame game will not fix anything. My first reaction to a difficult circumstance is to try to pin point the reason why it is happening. The disciples did this in John 9, when they came upon a man who was born blind. Jesus made it clear that it was no one’s fault that the man was born blind, but that God’s works could be illustrated through his blindness. God has unimaginable glory to reveal through our difficult circumstances. 

John 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

2. When emotions are raw, it is not a good time to make big decisions. God made us with emotions and feelings. These are a part of who we are, but when we act out as a result of our emotions we do things that have potential for regret and shame. Let the dust settle and the tears flow before you make any major decisions. Bringing your problems before the Lord and casting them at his feet, lightens the pressure and emotions on your part. You may still cry and feel emotional, but with God’s help you can navigate through the difficult circumstances. Jesus gives us the perfect example in the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed before the crucifixion. Our trials cannot compare to what he was feeling, but the principle of going to God and drawing strength through prayer is extremely applicable amidst difficult times.

Luke 22: 41-43 And he was withdrawn from them about a stones cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

3. When things don’t go as planned, be flexible. If you are a planner like me, this one is extremely difficult. Unexpected problems can make things seem like they are falling apart. The reality is that our disappointment is God’s perfectly planned appointment. When we live with a flexible perspective, the daunting news of the next trial is slightly easier to digest. When Lazarus was sick, Jesus did not go immediately to heal him and Lazarus died, but in John 11:43 Jesus demands Lazarus to “Come forth.” We must trust that God knows our situation and will work things out in His time. Planning is good, but when things don’t go as planned, rather than falling to pieces over the unknowns, trust in the one constant, that God never changes. Flexibility might not come as a natural character trait, but if we can adopt it and learn it, life will be much easier to walk through.

John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

4. When you don’t know the next step to take, be faithful. Do what you know is right each step of the way. Life might look, feel, and be less than ideal, but taking the next step is critical. If we quit in the midst of difficult circumstances we are forfeiting God’s glory for our own selfish destruction. It is not easy to press on when life’s burdens are beyond our comprehension. However, when I feel like collapsing beneath the pressure of life, there is a power greater than myself that helps me take the next step. If I fight against the greater power I collapse. If I forfeit my own feelings, thoughts, and desires I am lifted and carried to the next step of life with amazing power, grace, and mercy that only comes from Almighty God.

Proverbs 4:25-26 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 

Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

No matter what 2015 brings your way, pour your heart out to God, telling Him every detail. Let Him carry you through the unexpected, unplanned circumstances and trust that His glory will be revealed in a mighty way.

If God has carried you through 2014 in a mighty way, give Him the glory by letting others know what He has done.  Leave your comments below.