'And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. ' Colossians 2:6-7

Life is a challenge. Okay, Okay! I know that is an understatement! You have got some things going on in your life right now that seem…well, overwhelming. Right now, you are just trying to figure out how to navigate those unforeseen and unusual circumstances. What can you do to just survive? More than that, what can you do to live out your faith in such difficult situations. How do you apply faith to this?

I am so sorry that you find yourself in such an overwhelmingly difficult situation. I have also found myself in my own unforeseen and unusual circumstances. In those seasons, sometimes it can seem like taking a breath is the most difficult thing you can do. Continuing to simply live when such a huge wrench has been thrown into the works of normal seems unbearable. You find yourself in survival mode. You do what you have to. You eat, sleep, work and pay the bills. You take care of your family and do your best to just keep going. But is that all there is? Could there be more? Could there actually be a way to do more than just live? Could there be a way to thrive even as you struggle to survive? Could this be an opportunity to let Jesus to permeate every part of your life?

What if God has chosen to allow this situation in your life for the purpose of helping you grow closer to Him? What if what seems like the worst possible thing could turn out to be one of the best possible things for your relationship with Christ? It’s hard for you to see it now. I get that because I have been in your shoes. Oh sure, it wasn’t the same situation. It was my own normal-life-grinding-to-a-halt moment in time. I felt disoriented and unsure of how to do more than just get by, but as I chose to cling desperately to Jesus while I continued to do the basics – get my kids to school, go to the grocery store, do the laundry – I found Jesus to be closer than I expected and, even though I couldn’t really articulate it, I knew that He was carrying me through the darkness and I was learning how to better build my life on Christ. You are, too. You can’t see it now, but you are.

It may seem like you are drowning in overwhelm, but you have some tools that I’ll bet you are already making use of. Like a life preserver on a rope in a swirling ocean, you have got some things that you are holding on to and they are keeping you above the swells that seek to swallow you. Looking back, I know these are the things that got me through. They will get you through as well. So, how can you better build your life on Christ in this?

Live out what you know. There are a lot of things you don’t know right now. You don’t know how this challenge is going to play out. You don’t know what the future holds. You can’t really make plans because the future is just one big cloud. So, now is the time to focus on living out what you know day by day. When you live out your faith in every area of life you will experience greater peace, fulfillment, and satisfaction, even though it seems like your life is in shambles right now.

All you really have is now, right? So, live out your faith today. Focus on putting the things you have heard in sermons or read in devotions into practice. Apply Jesus to now. Get faith out of your head and into your hands and feet. The concept of God being in control is an often-talked-of and difficult-to-live-out idea. How does that translate into your now? What does it look like to live as if you really believe God is in control of this out-of-control moment in your life?

Perhaps it means that you don’t expend mental energy trying to solve the problem and imagine the future. Maybe it means that you live in peace rather than agitation because you are aware of an inexplicable trust that it’s going to be okay, at least YOU are going to be okay even if the situation isn’t.

I have unexpectedly experienced those things in my own out-of-control circumstances. Inexplicable peace, calmly living today without trying to figure out tomorrow. But until I had to choose to live that way or let the fear and anxiety take over, my faith didn’t have feet. Now is your time, Dear One. Live out what you know.

Learn more through doing what you’ve been taught. I’ll bet you and I have had a similar experience: Years of sitting in church, going to Bible studies, and listening to Christian radio and TV has filled my head with all kinds of information about what it means to live a Christian life. Sound familiar? It is so easy to let that treasure of knowledge accumulate and never actually use it…until you find yourself in a crisis. At least, that was my experience.

The idea that God is good and His love endures forever (Psalm 100:5) materialized as a firm foundation when it seemed like I had no floor to put my feet on. I didn’t know how my circumstances could ever resolve. Living in an unresolved life chord can be extremely stressful and painful. But it seemed that whenever we sang in church about God’s goodness, my heart leapt as if acknowledging that as a rock-solid truth for the first time. I didn’t know anything else about my life, but somehow, I knew that God is good and, whatever happened, His love would endure and carry me through.

Those are the kinds of truths that have to be put to the test in order for them to be written in cement in our lives. Whatever I face now is always undergirded by this truth: God IS good. His love WILL endure. So, I know that I AM alright. Living out what I have been taught has given me what I need to navigate the challenges of my complicated life. You’ll find that, too.

Let thankfulness overtake despair. Even though my life was one huge blur, there was one area of clarity. God really was with me in it, carrying me, strengthening, and guiding me. That filled my heart with a thankfulness that erased despair. Thankfulness defeated anxiety. Thankfulness overcame self-pity. Thankfulness fought with fear. The strongest weapon you have against drowning in despair is to let your heart fill and overflow with thankfulness. It starts as a choice, a discipline really. I had to choose to thank God for the strength to get through each day, for the unexpected phone calls from friends that lifted me, for the little moments of light in dark times. It took intention to recognize and remember the bright times and to lift my eyes and heart to God in them. But as I did, the awareness of His presence surrounded me like a sea wave rising over my head and crashing all around me. I was drenched in His love, buoyed by His Spirit and supported in His strength. Thanking Him made me aware of Him. And that awareness became the key to thriving while I was simply surviving.

Dear Friend, it’s tough right now. That is undeniable. No minimizing or glossing it over with platitudes. Simply saying “God’s got this!” or “God’s in control!” doesn’t mean much. It’s the walking through it, living out what you know, learning from what you’ve been taught and allowing thankfulness to overtake despair that causes those simple statements to become decided declarations. Check yourself and decide to be honest. “God, I don’t understand this, and I am not sure how this is going to work out, but I know that You are good and that is all I’ve got.” Your honest prayers open the door for His presence in ways that false declarations of faith never do. He is going to meet You, my friend. You will thrive as you walk through this time when all you can really do is simply survive. You will find all you need as you let Jesus permeate every area of your life. You really will.

Key Thought: Living out your faith is the key to thriving while you survive.

A Scripture to Consider: 'And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. ' Colossians 2:6-7

A YES Challenge: How is God already meeting you in this time of simple survival mode? Where are places you can begin to cultivate thankfulness?

Prayer: God, this is such a hard time. I may as well just say it instead of trying to make it sound better than it is. You know the truth. You want to hear truth from me. So, there it is. I can’t see the future. I don’t know how this is going to play out. The cloud of disappointment threatens to develop into a deluge of despair. Help me choose to be thankful for the ways that You are present. Help me to recognize You in daily moments. I choose to walk in the truth that You are good and You will demonstrate Your love to me, even in this dark trial. Amen.