I don’t have all the answers as to why some really crazy bad things happen to us, but the Bible gives us some clues as to why (we’ll talk about this in a later post). However, it is clear on one thing…the Apostle Paul states something about facing the “giants” in our lives:“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair: persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)
Let’s break apart each image:
- “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed” – Paul is referring to our ”giants” (despair, depression, hopelessness…whatever is eating away at you).
2. “perplexed, but not in despair” – All logic tells us that it’s impossible
3. “persecuted, but not abandoned” – Our enemies/our giants are in hot pursuit of us, but God never leaves.
- “struck down, but not destroyed” – the enemy has knocked him down, but it’s not fatal
5. “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” – remember that the Crucifixion comes before the Resurrection.
When the giants of life seem to overtake us…we can’t be discouraged to the point of giving up. Persist…it’s hard, really hard. I’m living proof that you can! There were (and still are) many times the giants in my life tempted me to give up. But God helps me (and will help you) overcome, and that’s how our faith and character is built