Many people ask how I keep going with all I have faced in just 39 years of life, I have only one response for them and that is with the help of my Heavenly Father.
I have a goal of spending time with God each day….does it always happen, unfortunately no. Sometimes I don’t feel up to it, sometimes I forget, sometimes I’m angry at Him and of course there have been times when I thought I could handle things better than He could.
Over the past few years I have learned I need to have a few versus handy for me when I just don’t think I can take another step because, let’s face it, life can just be cruel and tough to take on our own. Below you will see some of my lifeline versus. Whether I am facing health problems, family issues, problems as a caregiver, career changes, raising a daughter, or any other life issue that may arise, these versus are the ones that really help pick me up and keep me going.
1. This one I turn to as I struggle with my weight and the enemy tries to use fear to bring me down since he knows it is what will get to me the quickest:
3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. – 1 Peter 3:3-5 (New International Version)
2. These verses help me to remember I’m not alone. During the time Peter was teaching he struggled the same way I do today:
17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. 21-23It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.24I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? 25The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind. – Romans 7:17-25 (The Message)
3. These verses remind me to be thankful in times of trials and to seek God for the knowledge I at the time:
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,a]”>[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:2-8 (New International Version)
There are times in my life where I could not even look at taking it a day at a time. I had to break it down to even smaller steps such as one decision or one minute at a time. Of course there are so many times it seemed as though I would not survive, but, there is, however, one thing I can say without a doubt as I look back over my life, there has never been a time I have been truly alone.