Have you ever had one of those seasons where you feel like you’re standing in the middle of a relentless downpour, and every time you try to close your umbrella, the wind just rips it right out of your hands?
We all know people who seem to go from one crisis straight into another. Maybe you're looking at one in the mirror right now. It is exhausting. It’s a health scare, then a financial hit, then a relational heartbreak, and before you can even catch your breath, another wave hits.
For a long time, that was my story. I lived in that heavy, suffocating space where trouble felt like a permanent roommate. And let’s be honest: in those moments, it is incredibly easy to look around at everyone else cruising on sunny, calm waters and think, “Why me? Why is my path so incredibly steep?”
The Uncomfortable Truth About Our Burdens
Here is something we don't always like to admit in Christian circles, but we have to be real about it: some of us are called to carry a much heavier load of suffering than others. Scripture doesn't sugarcoat this, and neither does real life. Pain isn't distributed in equal, neat little portions. Some paths are simply filled with more valleys.
But if we stop there, we get stuck in a really dark place. We start letting bitterness take root, or we let anxiety paralyze us about what tomorrow might bring.
Here is the beautiful, life-changing shift in perspective: if you are called to a greater measure of suffering, you are also lined up to receive a much greater, deeper measure of God's sustaining grace.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Choosing Grace Over Bitterness
When the waves keep crashing, we have a massive choice to make.
The enemy wants us to get bitter. He wants us to look at God with suspicion and ask, "If You love me, why are You letting this happen?" Or, we try to control everything ourselves, exhausting our own fragile strength to manage tomorrow's worries.
But bitterness and anxiety are total joy-thieves. They take what little energy we have and burn it to the ground.
To experience that extra-strength, sustaining grace God has for us, we have to do something that feels completely counterintuitive: we have to come to Him in total, utter humility.
Proverbs 3:34 NIV He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
What "Leaning" Actually Looks Like
Humility in the middle of a storm means dropping our demands for immediate answers. It’s admitting, "Lord, I am not strong enough to handle this on my own. I'm empty." This is where we learn how to truly lean on Him.
Leaning isn't a one-time prayer; it’s an ongoing, daily—sometimes minute-by-minute—process of checking in with our hearts and aligning ourselves with God’s will. It’s a quiet, daily posture that says:
When you finally lean all your weight on Him, you realize His grace isn't just a nice theological concept. It is real, tangible power. It’s the sudden, quiet peace that makes no sense given your circumstances.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (emphasis mine)
It’s the extra strength that gets you out of bed when you thought you couldn't take another step.
Trusting the Deep Purpose
God never wastes our tears. Even when the pain feels completely chaotic and pointless, we can trust that He is working beneath the surface.
Psalms 34:18 NLT The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
He’s using the heat of the fire to refine our faith, stripping away the temporary things we so easily rely on, and building a foundation in us that absolutely cannot be shaken.
Daniel 3:26-27 NLT Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! (emphasis mine)
And there is a beautiful byproduct to this: your story becomes a lifeline for someone else. Once you’ve walked through the deepest valley and experienced God's survival-grade grace firsthand, you carry a unique kind of light.
Psalms 23:1-6 NLT The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. (emphasis mine)
1 Peter 2:9 NLT But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (emphasis mine)
You become the person who can look someone else in the eye during their worst nightmare and say, "I've been there. He held me, and He will hold you, too."
If you are in the thick of a relentless trial today, please take heart. Don't let the enemy embitter you, and don't let anxiety steal your peace. Come humbly to Him, lay down your heavy armor, and lean hard into His arms. He has a custom-measured, overwhelming supply of grace with your name on it.
We all know people who seem to go from one crisis straight into another. Maybe you're looking at one in the mirror right now. It is exhausting. It’s a health scare, then a financial hit, then a relational heartbreak, and before you can even catch your breath, another wave hits.
For a long time, that was my story. I lived in that heavy, suffocating space where trouble felt like a permanent roommate. And let’s be honest: in those moments, it is incredibly easy to look around at everyone else cruising on sunny, calm waters and think, “Why me? Why is my path so incredibly steep?”
The Uncomfortable Truth About Our Burdens
Here is something we don't always like to admit in Christian circles, but we have to be real about it: some of us are called to carry a much heavier load of suffering than others. Scripture doesn't sugarcoat this, and neither does real life. Pain isn't distributed in equal, neat little portions. Some paths are simply filled with more valleys.
But if we stop there, we get stuck in a really dark place. We start letting bitterness take root, or we let anxiety paralyze us about what tomorrow might bring.
Here is the beautiful, life-changing shift in perspective: if you are called to a greater measure of suffering, you are also lined up to receive a much greater, deeper measure of God's sustaining grace.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
Choosing Grace Over Bitterness
When the waves keep crashing, we have a massive choice to make.
The enemy wants us to get bitter. He wants us to look at God with suspicion and ask, "If You love me, why are You letting this happen?" Or, we try to control everything ourselves, exhausting our own fragile strength to manage tomorrow's worries.
But bitterness and anxiety are total joy-thieves. They take what little energy we have and burn it to the ground.
To experience that extra-strength, sustaining grace God has for us, we have to do something that feels completely counterintuitive: we have to come to Him in total, utter humility.
Proverbs 3:34 NIV He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
What "Leaning" Actually Looks Like
Humility in the middle of a storm means dropping our demands for immediate answers. It’s admitting, "Lord, I am not strong enough to handle this on my own. I'm empty." This is where we learn how to truly lean on Him.
Leaning isn't a one-time prayer; it’s an ongoing, daily—sometimes minute-by-minute—process of checking in with our hearts and aligning ourselves with God’s will. It’s a quiet, daily posture that says:
- "I don't know why this is happening."
- "I don't know when it will end."
- “But I know Who is holding me, and today, I am letting go of the wheel and leaning my entire weight on You.”
When you finally lean all your weight on Him, you realize His grace isn't just a nice theological concept. It is real, tangible power. It’s the sudden, quiet peace that makes no sense given your circumstances.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (emphasis mine)
It’s the extra strength that gets you out of bed when you thought you couldn't take another step.
Trusting the Deep Purpose
God never wastes our tears. Even when the pain feels completely chaotic and pointless, we can trust that He is working beneath the surface.
Psalms 34:18 NLT The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.
He’s using the heat of the fire to refine our faith, stripping away the temporary things we so easily rely on, and building a foundation in us that absolutely cannot be shaken.
Daniel 3:26-27 NLT Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke! (emphasis mine)
And there is a beautiful byproduct to this: your story becomes a lifeline for someone else. Once you’ve walked through the deepest valley and experienced God's survival-grade grace firsthand, you carry a unique kind of light.
Psalms 23:1-6 NLT The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. (emphasis mine)
1 Peter 2:9 NLT But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (emphasis mine)
You become the person who can look someone else in the eye during their worst nightmare and say, "I've been there. He held me, and He will hold you, too."
If you are in the thick of a relentless trial today, please take heart. Don't let the enemy embitter you, and don't let anxiety steal your peace. Come humbly to Him, lay down your heavy armor, and lean hard into His arms. He has a custom-measured, overwhelming supply of grace with your name on it.
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