Keep going. A simple, yet significant quote, which holds so much meaning and power. Some of the best advice my father ever gave me was that in this life, we’ll go through hell and calamity; bad things happen to good and bad people, just at the end we hope we encounter more good than bad. And through my short-lived life, I’ve seen and been through just that, just as many of you have or will in the future. In this life we live, it may seem as though it is a forever moving maze or an unsolvable Rubik’s cube, but we have to keep moving if we want to see the fruits of our labor.
We may sometimes get caught up in situations, issues, or endure hard times, but we must still keep going. The enemy may use people and sometimes, our very own minds to trick and deceive us into giving up on whatever there may be for us – that breakthrough or success in an area you are seeking. God talks about this in Proverbs 3:5-6(KJV), “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” The world and the situation itself could be telling us that this won’t work out or that we won’t succeed, but it can also be that voice in our very own heads. This is why God tells us not to look to the left or to the right, but straight (Proverbs 4:25). We are not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow’s worries won’t help today’s (Matthew 6:34). But what I’ve learned about God is that He wants us to do what’s unnatural to us, and to ultimately challenge us. What’s natural to us is to give up when the going gets tough or when we see no way toward the finish line. Yet God still wants us to trust Him, His ways, and the circumstances that He’s allowing to strengthen us all in an effort to create better versions of ourselves on the other side of the obstacle. All of this seems unnatural, yes, but the walk we’re on as Christians is unnatural. Otherwise, everyone would be doing it. The most important thing is that God wants us to endure until the very end. Keep going.
Some see endurance as a bad thing. I know I did for a while, even at my lowest of times, honestly. I saw it as I have to go through things, get bruised, feel pain, and work. But God sees it as a beautiful thing.
Galatians 6:9 (NIV) states, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. This is alerting us that, through all the trials and storms we are going to go through, there is a prize at the end. Not in the middle nor the beginning, but in the end. So this should motivate us to keep going and endure till the very end, remembering with God, anything is possible. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13).
The constant guarantee in this life is that we as individuals will go through things. We will face doubt and fear from people and even ourselves. But the biggest weapon we have against all of these seemingly insurmountable things is God and His decrees for us to endure, whether the storm, and enjoy the fruits of our labor. I know I don’t trust myself around my favorite food and not eat it. But I trust God enough to bring me through, and I hope you do too. Godspeed.
