"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...

...what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:25-27

I know several people who are facing incredible life trials. Some of them health, some financial, some relationship-based. The individual issues may vary, and there are definitely reasons for concern in each person’s struggle. But, some of them are facing these burdens without a true relationship with Jesus Christ, while some of them are walking with the Lord. This is where the similarities end. For those in relationship with Jesus, there is a hope, a strength, a comfort that this life is not the end and these trials will not define us. This life and its challenges will fall away in eternity with a joy that is impossible for us to even remotely imagine in this life. For those who are not in relationship with Jesus, I’m pained and saddened to watch the struggles they face dictate their daily existence. These trials become an immovable burden and their very being becomes centered around the challenges of life. It is incredibly difficult to watch and my heart breaks for them.

Having Christ in our heart means our circumstances do not dictate our outlook. We can face life with a joy that is not of this world. One of the toughest trials our family faced was the loss of a job – in one day half of our income slipped away. What could have been a devastating blow became a window of opportunity that has radically changed us. From that, God lined up a path that only He could orchestrate. And now, we are able to fulfill a life purpose that is having an incredible impact on the next generation. We are only at the beginning, too. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities that God has in store for this journey. Becoming a surrendered, willing servant is the key.

Trusting that we need not worry and that God provides for us all that we need is what I have to cling to during our trials. That can be tough to do, I know. The day to day challenges of life have a tendency to wear on us, especially when we are in the midst of trying times. However, as tough as it may be, this is not what Jesus tells us. Throughout Scripture, we are reminded that we should not fear. While I may stumble at times with this concept, I am gently reminded to turn to Him. And I know that when I walk with the Lord through my trials, He is glorified and I come out ahead in the end.