I’ll spare you the details, but it hasn’t been an easy spring for my little family. A serious injury followed by one major sickness and then another knocked us down. We feel spent. We wonder what else might hit us. 

And we have some big changes coming up before long. We’ll have adjustments, difficulties, and new responsibilities.

Will I be able to handle it? I ask myself. Will I be able to stay on top of everything that needs to be done? Will I be able to care for others, as well as myself?

Thankfully, God’s addressed my worries in his Word. Here are some things that have encouraged me lately.

1. He is Faithful to Provide What We Need When We Need It

In Matthew 6, Jesus promises that God will provide for our needs. He tells us that worrying about them will not add a single hour to our lives. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself,” he says. “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

What does that mean? It means I shouldn’t fret about what’s ahead. God will provide everything I need to get through today. As for the future? I trust God that he’ll provide what I need for that too — when it’s time.

2. My Strength Isn’t Enough, and That’s Ok.

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me,” Paul reminds us in Philippians. Not only do we not have to worry about the future, we don’t have to worry about getting through it on our own strength. In fact, it’s through our weakness that God works best. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

It’s difficult to rejoice in my own weaknesses, because I like to think I can handle life on my own. What does that say about me, though? If I’m embarrassed of my weaknesses, I’m caring more about how people see me than about how they see God. If I truly want God to get all the glory, I’ll let others see my weaknesses and how God works through them.

3. Someone Has it Worse Than Me

Our problems matter to us and they matter to God, even if they’re small compared to someone else’s. Don’t throw this at someone who is suffering, but let it help you gain perspective.

I’ve found the best way to go about this isn’t to minimize or dismiss my difficulties, but to instead shift my focus on what I can give thanks for. Once I start giving thanks rather than obsessing over my problems, they start to seem smaller on their own. I can see beyond my own hardships.

For instance, I can look at people like Job, David, and Christians in Acts. They all remained faithful in serving God, despite their troubles, which are definitely worse than mine. I can look at the people I’ve known who have endured far greater difficulties than I have.

If they can deal with that and still carry on, praise the Lord, and have a cheerful attitude, why can’t I? I ask myself. That motivates me to push forward. Additionally, it reminds me that even amid my own trials, I can still help others with needs greater than my own.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,” 1 Peter 4:10 says, “as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Take Heart

I’m preaching to myself as much as anyone else. Even as I’ve been writing this, new problems to solve have popped up like weeds, threatening to make me doubt once again whether or not I can get through.

But when I remind myself that God will provide what I need for today, that God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness, and that others have weathered far worse than this, I take heart. I hope you do too.