Will You Fold or Fight?…

These past few months have honestly been very challenging for me. I have been through or witnessed so many setbacks, either physical, financial, logistical, or some combo of the three. It has seemed like for no reason, problems have come out of nowhere. Not everything has necessary happened to me personally but honestly, when it happens to the people you love, it pretty much happens to you too. And I wish I could trade places with many of them so they could find some relief. I feel like I have said all I can say to help encourage my self and others during these difficult times.

Going through storms in life is difficult. Seeing setbacks in my own life, that have delayed my plans has been difficult. Seeing random health and financial problems attack my girlfriend has been difficult. Having my cousin be perfectly healthy one day and fighting for her life the next has been difficult. (thankfully she is doing much better) And now last night, my memere, who currently has several types of cancer, had a stroke and doesn’t seem to be doing well.

It has seemed like one wave of hardship after the next. Just when we come up for air, we get smacked in the face with something else and pulled back down. I don’t have much left to say. It’s has been a stressful and trying few months.

But in these moments, I have two choices: I can fold or I can fight!

I can easily give into fear and let my circumstances determine my actions, reactions, and response. I can see all these bleak situations around me and say, Fear you win. This is awful, it’s the worst thing in the world and I’m never going to recover from this. I might as well just give up trying.

It is too easy to look at the mountain in front of us and say that it is just too big an obstacle to climb. Or my setback is just too much, I don’t know how I am going to get through this.

But I won’t do that!

I choose to fight!

Why?

Cause I don’t fight alone.

It’s not a fair fight. The odds are stacked in my favor.

We can choose to tell God how big our problem is or we can tell our problem how big our God is!

I choose to fight! To stand up and face the mountain, obstacle, or setback.

I’m making a stand to choose joy no matter what the circumstance. Will there be pain? yes. Will there be tears? yes. Will it be hard? yes. But joy isn’t based on circumstance. My hope, my peace, and my joy comes from God and God alone. He is my rock, my fortress, and my strong tower. He is my deliverer. He is my protector, preserver, and provider. He is my strength when I am weak. He has good plans for me. A future. He has got my back. He is my healer, my portion, my friend, my father, my God. From now until forever, that will never change!

So what do you do when you have nothing left to say because you are so drained from what life is throwing at you?

You say nothing!

You believe!

“The Lord WILL fight for you; you need only to be still!” Exodus 14:14

I choose to believe!

I choose to fight!