Not Alone

“Life is supposed to be hard…” I have heard this expression so many times… particularly coming from my own mind. In dismay I sigh each time the reality of this statement hits me on the face. The enemy slaps me with this thought every time I face challenges…as if to taunt me…as if pushing me to doubt the Goodness and the Presence of the Almighty right here in me…

We are not supposed to deal with life alone. Our mission in life, whatever it may be: whether in a remote corner of a forgotten island serving “the least of these” while lacking essential necessities, facing decease and loneliness or in the most modern of urban centers, enduring the corporate world’s caprice, out-of-control traffic and all the plagues of development, our God-designed mission in life is not supposed to be without challenges, but it isn’t supposed to destroy us either…

That’s why Jesus sent them out in twos:

Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. Mark 6: 7

These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” Mark 6: 7-11

Jesus knew, as the Creator and as His experience living in the flesh showed Him, that carrying out one’s mission alone is pretty impossible. Regardless of the fact that the full burden of His redemptive work was and is upon His shoulders, Jesus knew He needed a support group! He, more than anyone, knew the challenges would be none too great to be faced on one’s on. The journey is just too hard. The road too rough. The disappointments too depressing. The fatigue too crushing. The fear too overwhelming. The mind too unruly.

In His provision, The Lord always places people around us who would sustain us…even when we are too stubborn to seek for assistance. Even when we think we can handle it all by ourselves, Jesus, in His great wisdom, love and compassion for us, sends us His angels…sends us His presence. Our job is to seek it. We must seek Him first with all our might and concentration. And we must pray that we recognize Him in our surroundings: in the prayers of our friends, in the unexpected messages from our main encouragers, in the perfect devotional reading, in the lyrics of a song, in the beauty of the sunset, in the laughter of a loved one, in the embrace of a partner, in the calling of someone we thought long-lost, in the kindness of a stranger…

Regardless of what the enemy may try to feed to our minds as to wonder where God is in our situation, we must resist his taunting and seek to see the face of our Father…we must pant for it…like the deer in psalm 42…as we sing His song:

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. Psalm 42: 11

Yes, life is supposed to be hard.  We are not home yet.  This isn’t paradise.  But it isn’t hell either.  

The fire of this world will not consume us, because we are protected by the All Consuming Fire that is Our Lord! (Hebrews 12: 29)

Life is hard, indeed, but as we seek the presence of Our Lord, Jesus the Christ, we will discover that He gives it to us in many different ways...we are not meant to do this life alone...let's be aware of those who walk along our path and become each other's helpers, companions and encouragers...they are there, no matter how alone we might think we are...keep seeking Him, and we will find that they were there all along.