How to Handle Hard Better, Prov. 3:5ESV

Life never gets easier, you just learn to handle hard better. Stop waiting for easy and become someone who handles hard well.    

~Kara Lawson, Handle Hard Better

Duke’s Women’s Basketball Head Coach

 

As we were nearing the end of our session Wednesday evening my therapist dropped this quote on me, “Handle hard better”.  She did because earlier this week I’ve had life happen, so some things temporarily within the household have to change until this event can be sufficiently squashed.  My “adjustment anxiety” has kicked into high gear the last two days due to this.  However, what she said made sense.  What Coach Lawson said in her speech to her team makes sense.  We have to learn how to handle hard better.  I told her that she just may have given me my topic for my devotional today and she said that if I found a scripture to go with this she wanted to hear it.  So, how do we handle hard better? 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

    and do not lean on your own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5ESV

Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart

And do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  Proverbs 3:5AMP

I didn’t think it was that simple either but it actually still isn’t.  

Why do things happen when they happen?  Why do they have to happen at specific or random times?  How do they happen and to what purpose?  Yes, many things in life happen unexpectedly but still there are things that happen in life that we do expect?  Another question we always ask:  Why now? 

When life gets hard or harder, who can you trust?  Who will you run to?  Who will you run to when it all falls down?/Who's gonna pick your world up off of the ground?/Who's gonna take away the tears you cry?  (Heart, Who Will You Run To)

Who are you gonna call?  Jesus Christ. *insert Stryper song here*

There is so much in life that we don’t understand and even the things we do we have a hard time accepting.  We always ask, “Why is this happening to me?” or “to us” or “right now”.  The scripture says, “do not rely on your own insight or understanding”.  When life happens we are to rely on Him.  We are to rely on His insight and understanding because He knows all things.  When life goes south we “trust in the Lord” with all our heart.  Not our best friend, the neighbor next door, the mailman, your tarot cards, your astrology, your co-worker, your finances, your job or your supposed good looks.  The word says the Lord.  You can’t trust anyone else when life starts getting hard.  When your past comes back to slap you in the face.  When the bottom drops out from below you suddenly.  We joke but life does happen.  And, you need to run to Jesus when it does.  (Prov. 18:10)

The first thing we ask is:  God why?  

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Is. 55:8-9ESV

This is why we must trust God.  Yes, as humans that’s easier said than done but that’s life.  That also too is a part of life being hard:  trusting God.  Because you think your immediate problem or problems are hard but God is bigger than your problems.  However, once you realize that that may be the only time life gets easier because He’s handling the hard for you. 

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