I’m sure we’ve all been deluged with opinions on how to survive the long drudgery of this pandemic.
There’s no doubt it has taken a toll. Every public opinion survey you read and every mental health professional you talk to will tell you not only how hard it’s been on people but how long it’s going to take to dig countless millions out of the abyss of hopelessness, anxiety and despair.
I don’t have any great answers other than depending on the fact that God is faithful and will help those who call on him.
But I do have one small suggestion to offer. It’s what I call the next step. Just look at what’s in front of you now.
Let me illustrate it another way. In all my years of running, I generally avoided looking off in the distance, because all that did was discourage me when I realized how far I had to go. The more breathless I got, the more I resorted to looking down at the ground ahead of me. Those sections of sidewalk concrete fly past even when in truth you’re barely moving. It’s amazing I didn’t have more head-on collisions with people walking in the opposite direction!
When things are tough, ask God to help you get up the step ahead of you. Don’t look at the magnitude of the staircase. This enables you to take great encouragement from small improvements. Why? You know you’re making progress.
This advice is particularly helpful when you’re in the middle of what you know will be a long battle. It could be digging yourself out of debt, it could be repairing a badly damaged relationship, it could be dealing with a chronic physical or mental illness. Or it could just be getting through a pandemic that has dragged on way longer than most of us thought it would.
My suggestion is not a magic bullet. It doesn’t whisk you up to the top of the staircase, but it does help to get you one step higher.
Most battles in life are won one step at a time. I heard an amazing testimony the other day of a woman trapped in severe clinical depression who was touched by God and instantly healed. And who has remained healed. But sadly that’s the exception, not the rule. The rest of us need a different strategy to get through the challenges of life.
Jesus said the same thing a different way. Don’t try to control the future, just take on the battles of today. God will look after tomorrow.
So find something you can ask God to do in your life today.
And tomorrow you’ll find yourself one step higher. And after a few steps like that, you’ll begin to hope again.
Just don’t give up!
CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH DAVID & ELAINE CAMPBELL IN HELPING TO SUSTAIN THEIR ACTIVE MINISTRY.
AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
When making a donation, please follow these steps:
1. Click the donate button below
2. Enter the amount you wish to donate and choose "Paypal" or "Credit Card"
3. On the next page, in the "Add a note" field, please mark the donation for "Foundation of Faith"
For those in the UK, you may also support us through Emmanuel Church Durham, which receives and passes on any financial gifts designated to us. You are welcome to contact Jenny, the church treasurer, at finance@emmanuel.org.uk, and she will be glad to let you know how you can support us on a once-off basis or by standing order.