Enduring Hardship

2 Timothy 2:3 - Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

​No one would debate that soldiers face hardships every day, but those living with chronic pain or illness also face hardships.
 
There’s the hardship of knowing you’ll never be the same again.
 
There’s the hardship of having difficulty just doing ordinary tasks each day.
 
There’s the hardship of family not understanding you.
 
There’s the hardship of losing finances, because you can’t work anymore.
 
There’s the hardship of forgetfulness, because your pain takes up space in your thinking and leaves no room for much of anything else.
 
There’s the hardship of losing friendships, because they can’t stand to see you in so much pain so they drift away.
 
There’s the hardship of feeling like a failure.
 
There’s the hardship of your heart breaking into a thousand pieces, as you face the pain every and I mean every day.
 
This list seems daunting because it is. But each one of the hardships above can be turned around if you believe they can be:
 

• The frustration of knowing you’ll never be the same again can be seen as an opportunity to grow into a new you despite the pain.

 

• Difficulty performing ordinary tasks each day can be seen as an opportunity to have others help you instead of doing life alone.

 

• Family not understanding you can open up the door for deeper conversations and growth of your relationships.

 

• Not being able to work anymore can turn into having the time to find a way to help others. You can become a good listener or maybe you could be the one to accompany someone else in pain to their doctor’s appointments.

 

• Forgetfulness can lead to becoming more organized as you learn to write things down in your calendar and “to do” lists so you remember what you need to do.

 

• Friendships may seem to be gone forever, but as people see you still thriving, even in the dark valley of pain, may cause them to not drift away, but be drawn to you and your perseverance.

 

• Your heart breaking into a thousand pieces as you face the pain every day can cause you to learn to pick up those pieces as you learn to love yourself again and believe that you can take, even this broken heart, and share it with others who feel broken too.

 

• Everyone, whether they’re in pain or not, at some time feel like a failure. But that feeling can be turned around to finding ways to see yourself as a success because you didn’t give up.

 
Try to remember, each time you’re faced with difficulties, even while a bridge you used to cross has been taken down, you can take a leap of faith and find you didn’t need that bridge after all.
 
As the Bible verse above says, we are to endure our hardship like those soldiers around the world fighting for freedom. God will equip us to fight our battles and give us the encouragement and love we need to win back our freedom in spite of the pain or illness.
 
Read the article from lifehack.org titled, “5 Ways to Deal with Hardship and Pain in Life,” such as detaching yourself from the situation and accept the results and get back up again stronger.

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