God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
This is a verse that is so easy to believe when life is going well. But how much harder is it to believe when the trials are coming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? When I think back to the periods of my life when I faced the toughest battles, I remember doubting God and questioning if and when He would ever turn my life around for the better. I'm not proud to admit it, but it's the truth.
This past Monday a friend of mine asked me the following question in between innings of a softball game: "If you could ask God one question, what would it be?" My response was the following: "Why all the years of pain and suffering?" The rest of the game I couldn't help but think about all the "lost" years of my life and it really got me down. I drove home and turned on my computer to update the Verse of the Day. As fate would have it, the above verse was staring me in the face. It's funny how God works sometimes, and I couldn't help but laugh. I thought about something my pastor had said a few months back: "How easy is it to thank the Lord after He has answered a prayer? But how much harder is it to have the same thanksgiving at the height of our struggles?"
The good Lord has delivered me from every challenge I've ever had regardless of how I've felt about Him during those challenges. Unfortunately, I know there are rough roads ahead of me. My goal is to love Him more then, than I do now.