The past month had felt really difficult, you know when you feel not quite sad but not quite happy. I was definitely having a bit of a lull. For 3 weeks straight I just wasn’t myself and just wasn’t able to get past this really strange feeling. I was plagued with a lot of lies concerning my future and was slowly slipping into a mindset that felt weak. About 2 days ago there was a shift and I was finally back to being in a state of joy. Although the same problems remain, I realised that because my state of being had changed, I was finally able to see the joy in this season. Here are 5 things that got me living in joy through a difficult season.
- Face the pain – When you are faced with pain, the worse thing you can do is ignore it. Try to face it, write down what it is that is causing the difficulty. Get to the bottom of it. Is it a job loss? Is it a relationship issue? Write it down, speak to Christ and be very real. A lot of the time our pain is caused by a reoccurring thought attached to the “problem”. For example, a job loss may lead to fear that you won’t ever find the right role. It’s important to find the real reason you feel down, once we find that “truth” we can deal with it head on.
- Pause – In a difficult season I believe it’s okay to take some time off, during those 3 weeks I felt weak, I decided to take some time out, I stopped posting content and my focus was about getting my mind straight. I took my time and I was gentle with my self, in all honesty there were times when I didn’t have the energy to even pray. In those moments I would listen to Calm music (I actually made a playlist called Calm lol) and I would cry out to Christ in my mind, and also listen to scriptures about Gods love on YouTube. Sometimes it would make me feel slightly better and sometimes it didn’t, but every time I did this I knew I was slowly but most assuredly getting better.
- Reach out for strength – I literally felt like my few prayers to Christ, were what sustained me. I discovered this passage, which is literally what Christ will do as you reach out to him, no matter how little it seems.
Psalm 145: 14 The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down.
He will keep you from falling and breaking down, he will uphold you through his faithful love. No matter how difficult things get just reach out to Christ in prayer, let him be your strength in those weak moments. He will always find a way of giving you an encouraging word or sign. The past 2 Sundays at church, the sermon has been about The goodness of God and how difficult seasons will always come to an end. Those sermons really helped me through. I knew God was hearing my heart and speaking to me through those sermons.
- Breathe in Life – It was literally one line that took me out of what felt like a really difficult time
Psalm 145:13 You are faithful to fulfill every promise you’ve made.
I found this word because my issue wasn’t so much the problems I faced, it was that I feared it wouldn’t get better. This scripture spoke to the very fear and broke me out of the lies I had been believing. Breathing in life is simply finding a scripture that restores your hope, something led me to finding scriptures that spoke on Gods faithfulness, which is how I found this verse. When you find the strength commit to finding a verse that speaks directly to the pain you feel. The word of God is a powerful energy giver, it has the ability to reenergise you and, in an instant it can transform you from being in a state of sadness to a state of joy.
- See the vision – Joy comes when you can see again, when you can see light at the end of the tunnel. Ask God to open your spiritual eyes and ignite a vision. A compelling vision will give you the drive to push through and give you a genuine excitement for life. It deals with comparison, and can help you see the good in any challenging time you find yourself in.
To sum it all up “Difficult” seasons occur, but emotionally you don’t have to depressed and sad through the season. It is very possible to be deeply joyful through difficulties. I love the words of Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It teaches us that no matter what happens, Gods love remains, it is inside of you. It lives all around you and is the very reason we live, move and breathe. No matter where you find yourself, accept this truth and keep on rediscovering the depth of Gods love. Things will most certainly get better.
Sending all the love of Jesus Christ
Thank you Alice! This post is super helpful and timely. xx