In dark times, hold fast and be kind

Get the FREE worksheet for this program here.

When times are hard and life is dark, hold fast and be kind.

My primary takeaway from each of the passages was this:

• Genesis 5 & 6  – Sometimes things can get pretty messed up, despite our best efforts. When this happens, don’t give up. Just go back to the last place that things were working and pick up where we left off.
• Matthew 3 – Change can be painful, and sometimes the truth hurts. Listen to it (and hear it), anyway.
• Psalms 3 – God sustains me in all situations.
• Proverbs 3 – Be kind and generous, mind my own business, and be humble.

 All of us go through hard times. and when we’re in the belly of the beast it can be difficult to remember that we’re not the only ones who endure suffering.  I cannot count the number of times in my life when I have been hurting over one thing or another–betrayal by a family member, friend or worker, or a project I worked so hard on going down in flames–only to have someone (usually a stranger) reach out, comfort me, and perhaps provide me with help from a place I least expected it. In similar fashion, I have been moved by the Spirit countless times to provide an encouraging word or actual assistance to a loose acquaintance or total stranger.

Conversely, when we have emerged from our difficulties like a phoenix from the flames it can be difficult to remember what it’s like to be in the grinder, and we can become impatient with those around us who may seem to be in our way, somehow (particularly at the post office, or the check-out line at the grocery store, or in the Walmart parking lot…).

It is in times like those that I try to remember a phrase that most of us have heard numerous times: “There but for the grace of God go I.”* 

People can lash out when they are hurting. If someone lashes out at me, is rude, oblivious, or otherwise impolite or inconsiderate, I try to remember that “there but for the grace of God go I” and respond with kindness.

There have been times when I was in the deepest, darkest pit of despair imaginable over financial disasters, health issues, family problems, or chronic work stress, when at my lowest point a person who seemed even more despairing than I was crossed my path. I call those “It’s a Wonderful Life” moments because I found myself reaching out to help someone who needed it at a moment when I felt my life wasn’t worth much and didn’t have anything to offer. Clearly, I was wrong.

When things are dark and times are hard, hold fast, look up, and be kind.

That’s what I got out of it. What did you get out of the readings today?

You can join us in our private Facebook group that I set up specifically for sharing what we take-away from the readings each day.

If you haven’t gotten the FREE “Read the Bible in a Year” worksheet yet, you can Get the FREE worksheet for this program here. It is not necessary for you to start on January 1st–you can start from the beginning on whatever date you get the worksheet. Join us!

Learn more about why I read the Bible all the way through every year, and feel free to share with anyone you think could benefit. 

This post is part of the series, “Read the Bible in a Year.”

To see other posts in this series, go to the Chronological Index of Read the Bible in a Year Posts.

*Attributed to the English Evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford (1510-1555) https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/there-but-for-the-grace-of-god.html

Please follow and like us: