Worst Summer Ever

Whenever someone asks about your summer, don’t you feel compelled to tell him or her it was wonderful? We go through the calendar and pick the most adventurous or luxurious event or trip and elaborate on it. It is the rare conversation when someone says, “it has been the worst summer ever.”This summer, our family spent two weeks in two beautiful places. God blessed us with amazing opportunities to get away. Yet, somehow, I sit here on the cusp of the fall carrying the same crazy pressure I felt in May. Yes, we were physically away but shame on us that we somehow just packed our pressure in a suitcase and took it with us. I guess it is a good thing we did not board an airplane or we would have paid an extra fee for our unwanted baggage.Don’t get me wrong. I liked being with my family and we made some fun memories, but somehow it did not provide the relief I was looking for. I think I should have learned this lesson before. I did write on Discovering God’s Purpose without the Pressure for crying out loud! I know better than to depend on things or places to bring us joy.As I mulled my frustration over in my mind, I was then reminded that within just the last 24 hours I had spoken to someone struggling with the loss of a parent, someone waiting on test results back for unexplained pain, someone holding on to their marriage by the thinnest of threads, and someone wondering when their loved one would ever return home. My frustration pales to some of the circumstances we must walk through in life.

So what do we do when life does not live up to our expectations?

In recent weeks, I came across a name of God that I had forgotten. Paul reminded me in Romans 15:5 that my God is the God of endurance and encouragement. Whether it is just a bad day or a bad season, God is prepared to help us. He knows the pain and He even knows how long it will last. I wish so badly that He would tell us in advance when a trial would pass, but we would likely think we could manage without the God of endurance if we knew when the pain would expire.I know it is not an accident that Paul puts these two attributes of God together. He knows that when we are enduring that encouragement is required. We grow so weary so quickly. Where are you hurting right now? Where are you waiting right now? I encourage you to cry out to a God who pours courage in us and helps us endure.