There is an old saying that I remember from my childhood, ‘if it doesn’t break you, it’ll make you stronger’. Perhaps you’ve heard that one too.
And I’ve often heard fellow Christians say, ‘if God brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it’.
Both are true, both basically mean the same thing.
In James 1: 2-3 it says: “Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” Why do we have to go through hard times?
It comes down to one simple fact – do you want to grow?
I think of our street friends as they live through hard times. Every day they encounter a situation where they need to stretch just a little beyond their comfort zone to obtain a certain objective. These situations help them to endure. Endurance to stay warm. Endurance for another meal. Endurance to help each other.
One of our friends came to our door last week, carrying everything he owned in his battered and bent shopping cart. He insisted he didn’t need food or clothing. He was feeling unwell and didn’t know where to turn. He was scared. Could we help? We did what we could.
We tracked down a clinic that was open, found him a ride there, compliments of another community agency, and saw him off. But alas! What of his precious and few belonging left behind in the cart on the sidewalk? They couldn’t travel with him. We worried about theft and about rain and about how vulnerable our friend was in the moment.
For that day and overnight we became caretakers of that cart and in this one small instance, potential disaster was averted. However, with COVID numbers rising again, I ask myself how will our friends endure the new challenges that lie ahead.
My prayer is for the person reading this to realize that no matter the struggle or stumbling block, God will bring you through and you will be stronger!
~Elizabeth, Office Administrator
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