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The Struggle Is Real But So Is God’s Grace

the struggle is real but so is gods grace

The struggle is so real. & i am really feeling it today.

It all really started when i began to wake up angry every day. For no specific reason that could come to mind, i just would wake up on the wrong side of the bed every single day for months. I found myself praying more times for my circumstances to change rather than being thankful for what i had.

Because, to be honest, it could always be so much worse.

Grief just has a way of settling in with us a little too long sometimes. Am i right?

We’ve been raised up in a world that believes things always have to go our way and that it’s not ok to talk about hard things. So we truly believe that. Every one of us has an ego that loves to assume. Most times we listen to it and let it direct us. Yet, our ego doesn’t take us anywhere good. It keeps us obsessing, pretending, and then begins isolating.

Because it believes that life should be perfect the way that we want it to be and ego loves to fixate on that emotion alone.

The struggle is real, but so is God’s grace.

Our ego assumes that it knows whats best for our future. Yet, at the end of the day it has nothing positive to say. And it isn’t leading us anywhere good. This is the exact place where I’ve found grief to live the most often and it becomes really easy to just stay there.

Because for some of us grief is what we have experienced more often. So, without even realizing it we’ve gotten comfortable in it. Leave it to us, we just naturally obsess over outcomes which ideally leaves us in a constant place of grief– if you really think about it.

Having faith that things will all work out is easier said than done and sometimes feels impossible to do. I understand because i have been there so many times before. It is a constant work in progress because that ego is a part of us and will always be there.

We must make the choice every day who and what we are going to listen to.

Gods grace is where its at.

This last week i attended the very last session of a 6 week bible study that was named “It’s not supposed to be this way” by Lysa Terkeurst. Lysa is the founder of Proverbs 31 ministries which has been a huge inspiration to me. Anyways, in the book and study Lysa talks about how our life is really just God’s ultimate recipe for a perfect cake.

Meaning that the ingredients to actually make a cake usually involve a mixture of really good ingredients like sugar, vanilla, and butter. And also some pretty yucky ingredients like raw eggs, flour, and baking powder.

However, if it were up to us and we didn’t know any better, we would only choose to use the ingredients that we thought tasted good and the end result of our “yummy” cake would honestly be pretty disgusting. The “good” ingredients have now become bad and we have nothing sweet to serve other people.

The truth is, we need the nasty parts just as much as we need the good in order to be mature and complete. We need to feel the heat in order to rise.  This spoke to me because im realizing that my hardships are the “raw eggs” in my life and that maybe i should start using them a bit more.

The struggles are very real for so many of us and they can often feel like a straight smack to the face

But there is always something to learn even in the moments that aren’t so sweet.

Here is some inspiration i want to share that you can hang onto for this week so that you can begin to see Gods grace in your struggle and so you can tell your ego to take a ride in the back seat!!:

  • The hard times wont last forever. You are intoxicated with guilt, regret, sin and shame and its hard to think for yourself anymore. If you’re like me, you have been trying too hard for too long to do things your way and its gotten you no where. It’s time to hand Jesus the keys because ultimately he knows what is best for you and your situation, always.
  • You are gaining strength and will be able to recognize your purpose. You cant change your circumstances, but you can change the way you respond to them. There is hope in heartache and pain, in death and sorrow, and any other bad place you have been. It may be hard to see it right now but let it encourage you that the more trials we go through the stronger we become.
  • Everything, in it’s own time, will be used for good.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – 1 James 2:3-4

  • Allow yourself to be vulnerable with yourself and in prayer. Even when we cant see him hes with us.
  • The struggle is real but it also makes us real. We have to go through the struggle in order to be complete. I feel like its unrealistic to always be happy or to always be “thriving”. We never know what God is truly working out for our future. We may be blind to whats ahead but, hes not. Give yourself the grace you deserve, the time you need, and have faith.
  • Quit expecting so much of yourself. Surrender your struggle to the one who is really in control.
  • You aren’t alone. In order to see myself out of a negative situation i first evaluate the people who are in and around it with me so i can take a good look at how i am being influenced. God never leaves you, no matter who you are with. Finding those that can relate with you are those that give the most hope. Stay close to them.
  • Find and create communities full of support. Lets choose to not compare our stories to one another in any negative way. But rejoice in the fact that God’s glory will be shown through them all. You need to know that other people care about you.
  • God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead, im pretty positive that we will all be OK.

the struggle is real

everything will be used

quit expecting

grace wins everytime

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Courtney Flores

founder of mama in grace

Welcome to Mama in Grace! I’m a mom on a mission to help fellow moms navigate faith and motherhood with grace. Here, you’ll find inspiring content, practical tips, and a supportive community to accompany you on your journey. Join us as we embrace the beauty of motherhood with faith as our centerpiece. 

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