Finding Joy in the Difficult Situations | Ruth Chisholm

It’s really easy to be joyful & have peace in our lives when everything’s going peachy & it’s all working out or we can see the physical fruits of the situation.

But what do we do when it doesn’t feel like that?

When the storm is bashing our boat & knocking it side to side?

When something really unexpected/sad happens?

How do we regain our so loved joy?

I think we should start on why God allows these type of situations in the first place.

James 1:3 tells us that God allows trials to take place to test our faith & in turn we build perseverance which if we allow the situation to take its course then it makes us mature & complete.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t like difficult situations as much as the next person, I love to feel security & at peace with what’s going on in my life.

But what makes us not easily feel joyful during the tough times?

I believe it largely depends on our POV & outlook on the situation. What we’re choosing to focus on.

Situations are often out of our control or choice, which is when the doubt & questioning starts.

What is our choice though, is whether or not we want to believe God & His word to be true & in His capabilities.

Romans 8:28 says “we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him”

I sometimes get caught up between trying to please God & do what I think will make Him happy over actually just accepting His love & reciprocating it.

When we trust God, we ACCEPT that He knows what He’s doing (& working it for our good!). We BELIEVE He will control it. And we humbly ACCEPT however He chooses to deal/work the situation, rather than getting angry/upset when He does it differently to what we think should be done.

Trusting God doesn’t just come out of nowhere though, it comes from us choosing to give over more than the difficult situations. ITS GIVING OVER EVERYTHING, even the smallest & most mundane tasks to Him to work in (like washing the dishes/making dinner)!

If we’re not doing this how can we expect to fully give over the big & difficult situations to Him. Even more so, how can God lead us into bigger plans & greater things if we’re stuck on level 1.

Luke 16:10 says that whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

We also have to live with the expectancy of God to work in our lives.

There’s a story of two farmers who asked God to provide rain in a drought. Only one of the two planted their crops in expectation for God to work. Which one do you think God honoured?

James 1:17 says that “every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”

This promise allows us to have something firm to trust in, something that won’t waver/fail.

With this promise in mind if we look back at all the difficult times in our lives, which might not have felt good & perfect at the time, if we choose to look at them through God’s POV we see all the good things that He’s brought out of the situation!

My dad died when I was 11 & there’s been a lot of struggle & pain endured since then but if I look back I can also see all the ways God worked & all the perfect gifts He has given my family from that particular circumstance. My family is really close & we now have this unbreakable bond & amazing support system that’s only strengthened since his death. We also have so many testimonies of how God has provided in unimaginable ways when we needed it & when it looked like there was no hope.

My encouragement to you is to spend time seeking what God’s word says on your situation that’s stealing your joy (even just looking at the red letters is guaranteed to have an answer because Jesus is the best example!!)

Fully give & surrender yourself, everything you have to offer, to God.

If you’re still not feeling joy/change in your mindset, continually ask God to impact you in whatever way He feels you need to every moment it comes into your mind. Keep persistent in this because God loves perseverance!!

Lastly (& most importantly) thank God for the answer of prayer. Thank Jesus for His example & teachings. & thank the Holy Spirit for His conscience & guidance even when you weren’t aware of it/might not have noticed.

It is only because of them that we have the hope & ability to truly change, & having a thankful heart is really important to be able to accept more change in the future.