Learning Through Difficulties

Wow, what a week I had last week. So many difficulties. From my diet and exercise to personal relationships. It just felt like a week of struggles. And yet, through it all, I gained so much and learned many blessed lessons.

As I grow as a Christian I am learning that I am often hurt more by other Christians than I am by non-believers. I believe my expectations of other Christians are set at a higher standard and I find myself shocked when something is said that hurts my feelings or I find myself disappointed from a unkept promise. What is the lesson in this? The lesson is that we are all human and are weak in the flesh. Holding Christians to a higher standard may seem like a natural thing to do but is it really fair? Do we somehow become super human when we accept Christ as our Savior? No. We remain in the flesh. We still have the ability to say the wrong thing, to do the wrong thing, to let people down. We are different because of our belief in Christ and because of our faith in His truths. We are different because we want to keep His laws and to live by the example He gave us with His life when He walked as one of us. But being different because of our salvation and our faith does not make us perfect and without faults. What I'm learning is to forgive Christians who hurt me just a quickly as I do non-believers. After all, I'm not perfect either. How many times have I unknowingly hurt someone, or put my foot in my mouth, or disappointed someone? I do make every effort not to do those things. I spend time daily in the presence of my Lord. I ask Him daily to fill me with His love for people but do I have perfect days every day? No, so why does it shock me when other Christians do not either? I'm learning.......

In the diet and exercise department I am finding that no matter how hard I try to be consistent with tracking my food and paying attention to my food choices and getting in the right amount of exercise, none of it comes easily. Old habits and old lifestyles are extremely hard to conquer and change. As hard as it is to be diligent and conscious of what comes out of our mouths in our words, it is just as hard to be diligent with what goes into our mouths. I am learning that I have to remain in continuous prayer and I have to keep it at the forefront of my thoughts. Do I want my thoughts to be consumed with food choices and the amount of time I am able to put into exercising? Of course not. I would like for it to be just as natural and easy to make healthy choices as it is with tying my shoes or brushing my teeth. But my lessons is this; when we are making changes with behaviors it requires diligence and conscious thought and attention. I believe with that the longer I invest in being diligent the easier it will become. I will hit the day when it won't have to be such a conscious thought. It will become natural for me to buy, prepare, choose, and eat healthier food. It will become natural for me to exercise because it's part of my daily process.

I'm learning that so much that goes on in our daily lives are difficult situations but what makes us better is the time we invest in our Father to help us make wise choices with each situation. The more time I spend with Jesus, the more strength I draw from Him, the more I place my trust in Him, He reveals to me lessons to be learned and gives me the strength and courage to react to situations in a more loving, and forgiving way. For others and for myself.

He is helping me to stay alert with my diet and exercise. My body is housing the Holy Spirit, it is so very important that I learn the lessons to take great care of it.

It isn't always easy getting through the difficult situations but the one lesson that I have learned is that those situations are my growing pains. They are making me a better child of God. They are my dumbbells to strengthen my spiritual body and mind.

He continues to grow me.