Dealing With Difficulty

Travis preached his first sermon at church Sunday night, and I thought he did a great job! He talked about his experience running the marathon back in April and compared that to the race we run as Christians. One of his main points was about dealing with difficulty. When you run a marathon, you’re bound to have some sort of hardship to overcome…whether it’s the weather, an injury, or just running out of steam. Just like that, we’re going to have trials to work through in life too. Sickness, death, financial problems, or whatever, etc. It’s just inevitable.

For me personally, his sermon came at the perfect time. Funny how that happens! My family has had a really rough couple of weeks lately. First, my dad’s mom (Granny) was put into the hospital. A few days later, my mom’s mom (Gran) had a heart attack and had to have a stent put in her heart…at a different hospital in Birmingham, of course! (She is still trying to recover from that). Two days after that, my mom’s dad (Dadaw) fell out of his bed at the nursing home. Then, Granny passed away last Wednesday (she was 94 years old and had dementia). And, this past Saturday, Dadaw got really sick and got put in the hospital for a gallbladder infection. Monday was Granny’s funeral and burial. And I think that’s it, but it’s all been a blur…so I may be leaving something out.

I think the phrase “When it rains, it pours” should be changed to “When it rains, it monsoons.” That’s a lot to happen in the span of 2 or 3 weeks.

Granny had been slowly going downhill for several years, so I guess her death wasn’t unexpected. She was in great health for most of her life though. She was very active and was still doing water aerobics well into her 80s. (I hope I’m still in that kind of shape if I live that long!). I have so many good memories of Christmas Eves spent at Granny and Papa’s house and of trips to Myrtle Beach every summer. Granny and Papa generously rented a big beach house for all of us to stay in together, and that was always the best week of the year. I’m so glad that they started that tradition because our beach trip (now to Fripp Island instead) is still my favorite week!

Although we took Brooklyn to the nursing home to meet Granny a few months ago, I don’t think Granny really understood who she was. It’s sad because Granny loved babies. We did get a few pictures of them together that day, and I’m so glad we did while we had the chance. It’s ironic that Granny’s only great-grandchild attended her funeral yesterday…it’s like one generation ending and the next beginning.

This week, I keep reminding myself of the points that Travis made in his sermon about how to deal with difficulty. In a marathon, obviously you are SO focused on the finish line. You think about it the entire time you’re running. Thinking about making it to the end makes the pain you feel easier to bear. As Christians, we should be that focused on heaven. It’s ironic that Travis quoted 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 in his sermon because it was one of Granny’s favorite passages from the Bible (and it was read at her funeral):

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

And, his other big point was that difficulty can make us stronger–if we let it. If you run have run in the rain or snow before, you will be better prepared when it happens next time you run. The same thing happens when we deal with trials in our lives too. James 1:2-4 says…

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Endurance is what you need to be able to run 26.2 miles straight…and it’s what we need to be able to finish our race as Christians too.

Sunday night on our way to Birmingham for Granny’s funeral, the song “Bring On The Rain” by Jo Dee Messina came on the radio. I’ve always liked that song, but it has never sunk in with me as much as it did that night. I felt like it was perfectly describing my life right now…

Another day has almost come and gone
Can’t imagine what else could go wrong
Sometimes I’d like to hide away somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost but not the war (’cause)

[Chorus:]
Tomorrow’s another day
And I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

It’s almost like the hard times circle ’round
A couple drops and they all start coming down
Yeah, I might feel defeated,
And I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing – but I’m not dead, no (’cause)

Tomorrow’s another day
And I am not afraid
So bring on the rain

I’m not gonna let it get me down
I’m not gonna cry
And I’m not gonna lose any sleep tonight (’cause)

Tomorrow’s another day
And I am not afraid
So bring on the rain

[Chorus]

Bring on the rain; bring on the rain

Bring on the rain

Bring on, bring on, the rain

So, even during this time in my life when I feel like it won’t stop raining…

I’ll remember that tomorrow is another day. And, in the meantime…we’re still gonna smile :)