I cannot take this anymore.

Why do I feel like I am the only one dealing with this?

The exuberance from the miraculous recovery of sleep I’ve experienced the past few months was quickly overshadowed by continually increasing intense muscle spasticity. While I am much more alert, my day-to-day still presents quite a challenge. The simplest daily tasks are impeded by spasms and the accompanying mindnumbing pain in my back and shoulders. Sometimes I just wonder, am I ever going to catch a break?

It feels as if no matter how much water I tread, I still keep getting dunked under.

Several days ago, I was stuck in this mindset, attempting to concentrate on reading amidst the nagging discomfort. But I was stopped in my tracks when I came across a gruesome story. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan recounts the scene of some brave men who were tortured to death in Europe in 2007. They were given the opportunity to be freed if they only recanted their faith but refused the offer.

The details were so graphic that Chan left them out, which naturally had me curious and sent me on a Google search. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. An image seared in my mind forever. My stomach was in knots for hours after reading about how people could do such repulsive things to other human beings.

It is tempting to fall into the abyss of woe is me when faced with a hard season of life. But this was a sobering reminder of six things I know I am losing sight of when I start to feel like life is not fair:

1. This is not the end of the story

Earth began long before we got here and will likely continue long after we are gone. This life is just a sliver in the span of eternity. Keeping this perspective helps to best leverage time in light of the fact that this earth is only a temporary home. For the guys above, their final moments on earth would have been agonizing. But the paradise that awaits is far better than any human mind can even comprehend.

2. God is more interested in our character than our comfort

I don’t want to waste the opportunity on the anvil of life as God the blacksmith fine-tunes me. I want to take the words of the Bible to heart when it comes to facing obstacles. God says encountering trials tests us to produce perseverance and faith while maturing us along the way. It may not be comfortable but when looking back we can often see a transformed character that will always outlast temporary comfort.

3. Pressing times present potential for powerful progress

When we face resistance in life we are met with a fork in the road. How will we respond? In the same way our muscles need resistance to get stronger physically, suffering is an opportunity to strengthen us spiritually. The apostle Paul understood this and embraced the opportunity: “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
 
4. Keeping death in mind changes how we live

I have a friend who prefers funerals to weddings. He is not morbid by any means. It’s more because funerals are a huge wake up call. It’s easy to get lost on autopilot, but when we are confronted with the reality of death, we begin to reexamine our priorities.

Similarly, before my accident I was very comfortable. Very carefree. It wasn’t until my life was turned upside down that I was forced to stop and reevaluate what I was putting my hope in. It is in the crucible of trial that God can truly get our attention to help us prioritize our lives. When I reflect on what has happened in my life over the last decade- lessons learned, relationships formed and strengthened, perspective gained- I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

5. Life isn’t perfect as it seems on social media

It’s tempting to compare everyone else’s highlights on social media to the darkest periods of our life. But what about what is not broadcast to the world via newsfeeds? People may be hurting more than we know and it’s good to remember there are others in the trenches with us that we can fight together with.

6. God is not trying to play “fair”

We tend to view God as a transactional Being: I do this, you do that. However, Jesus said the rain falls on both the good and the evil alike. Following his commands is a great thing to do…but it doesn’t guarantee comfort in our life here on earth. Will I let my circumstances dictate how I approach life or will I seek to understand that my role is to put my best foot forward no matter the outcome?

I will definitely think twice before stewing in the mindset that life is unfair again. This isn’t to say it’s going to be easy. But oftentimes the rearview mirror reveals how God has been working various pieces of my life together for a much bigger purpose.

What about you? Anything you would add to the list from your experience?

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