Many challenges in life can be like little jabs to the chest that may hurt and even send us staggering for a moment, but we recognize them as bearable, pull ourselves together, and manage life accordingly. However, when one feels like they’ve already been knocked out with a gaping chest wound, those little jabs can threaten to devastate.
In some of my more desperate moments recently, I have cried out to God wondering why He doesn’t seem to be protecting us from those little jabs, feeling as though we keep getting hit when we’re too feeble to handle even the smallest of punches. Any type of adversity in the wake of our hardship has been particularly difficult and can feel like a major blow.
So, quite honestly, I’ve been discouraged recently feeling like we keep getting smacked when we’re already so wounded, and wanting God to intervene to shield us from these little jabs. At times it has even felt like the enemy is volitionally trying to take us down (though I have very little understanding of how the unseen principalities of this world work).
But I was reminded today that God is for us (Romans 8). God is for me. And if God is for me, who can be against me?
I may feel knocked down, but I have not been abandoned. I may feel like our troubles are great, but I cannot be crushed. I may be perplexed, but I need not despair. For it is through my weakness that the life of Jesus can be made manifest. (2 Corinthians 4)
Evil may be at work around us, but I pray that true Life can be found within us, even in our pain.
Christina~
We loved your writing about "Little Jabs".You know the little jabs somtimes do hurt as much as the bigger "blows"; but I do think that is when we grow the most….because we do have to pick ourselves up; brush off those little jabs; and trust in God to keep us going….and you know what…we do grow….maybe stronger than we ever were before the jabs.
We love you our sweeties~
Jean and Gary
Hi Christina – I am a columnist for CWO plus I have my own blog. I stopped by today via Darlene, the editor of CWO. This post really touched my soul as I have been facing my own challenge recently through the loss of my beautiful 20 year old daughter, Sara. She is not physically dead, but she has gone from a very spiritual young woman who loved her God and her family more than life to a woman who’s enslaved by a man who has brought nothing but destruction to her life. It’s been a very painful 7 month journey, culminating with her recent decision to quit school and move to Michigan to live with him and his parents until they marry next August. Pain does tend to make one so vulnerable to all of the other challenges of life, doesn’t it? I shall keep you in my prayers as you go through your grieving. We did almost lose Sara to lupus 3 years ago – she was on the brink of death but a miracle brought her back. So that is what makes this loss even more difficult to bear because it’s like she’s tossing that miracle right back in God’s face. God bless.