When You Feel Like No one Understands Your Struggle

There are times when we feel like no one understands what we’re going through. When we feel alone and long to talk to someone about the struggle.

If you’re in that place today - the place of deep yearning to have someone who will listen - I hope with all the sincerity in my heart you will know this. I understand how you are feeling right now. And even though God may seem a million miles away, He hasn’t left. Not for one second. He spoke this truth to you and me…

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 ESV

There are others who understand too. Who’ve walked the road you’re walking now, and they would be honored to pray for you through the struggle. I share about this in today’s devotion below. I share it with the hope that it will bring peace in your difficulty, hope in your troubled time. Even as I write these words, I am praying for you.

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My heart hurt for days, and I knew it wasn't over yet. I faced a long, treacherous road ahead. But today, the clouds had lifted just a bit. What made the difference? Asking a certain friend to pray. She was the one who could honestly say she understood my struggle.

There's something remarkable about knowing someone else has walked this road and survived. (Tweet this.)

Something helpful. Something hopeful. Because when you are right smack-dab in the middle of the hurt, hope is the only thing that puts your feet on the floor the next morning and sets one foot in front of the other, over and over again.

When you feel the deepest hurts, God may bring to mind one person who’s been there.

You may see her every day, or she may be someone you haven’t spoken with in years, but one thing is certain. If you ask, she will be more than happy to pray with you every step. All it takes is a simple text.

“Will you pray for me?”

It’s difficult to understand how someone feels if we haven’t experienced it. But someone who's been on the same boat knows where to find the life vests.

And even if I’m afraid to reach out to someone, I can know without a doubt that Jesus understands. He bore every pain we feel. He identifies with every hurt, and our pain is not beyond His healing reach.

So the next time you find yourself in a situation with the kind of heart hurt that makes you want to curl up in a corner and hide from the world, remember God is right there with you. And if you need someone else to pray, send that text or email. She understands your struggles and can lift your name to the Father when you don’t have the strength. Those knowing prayers will make each step easier than the one before.

But know this dear friend, even if your request for prayer goes unanswered, Jesus can use the loneliest times to give us new hope. New joy. New life. Breathe in that truth today.

Blessings,

Kristine

Need prayer or help through this time of pain? Focus on the Family offers pastoral counseling services at no cost to you. Click this link to learn more.

Why Our Imperfections Are Important

“’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV)

Mistakes happen. I know. But this was not just one mistake. It was two. In the same day.

Suddenly, my lighthearted attitude about making mistakes turned into questioning my abilities. How could a task-oriented, detail-driven girl like me make two mistakes in the same day? 

Making mistakes can make me feel inadequate.

Defeated.

Unable to do the job or complete the task.

The truth is, sometimes I get caught up in my own ability to get the job done, and I run ahead full speed. Tackling one task with ease gives me the confidence to take on another. And another.

Before I know it, I've run into a wall, because I didn't slow down long enough to place my confidence where it belongs.

“But He said to me, ’My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV)

In verse 9, Paul explains to the church at Corinth how God responded to him when he asked God to take away a "thorn in his flesh." Paul knew the purpose of that thorn, or weakness. Verse 7 says, "... in order to keep me from becoming conceited."

God allowed Paul to carry the weakness to keep his dependence in the right place. God said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (v. 8)

Paul accepted his weakness with gladness, knowing full well he needed it. I'm inspired by how Paul acknowledged his own vulnerability. He wanted to remain humble. Keep the focus of his life and ministry on Christ. God provided grace for Paul, and He does the same for us.

Even when our mistakes reveal our weaknesses.

No one likes to have imperfections exposed. Thankfully, His power is made perfect in our weakness. (Tweet this.)

A mistake shouldn't cause us to question our abilities. It simply provides a pause for us to check our dependence. Have we become reliant on ourselves rather than our Savior? Do we put pressure on ourselves to never make a mistake?

God cares enough about us to expose our weaknesses, so He can shine through our lives.

Mistakes are OK. They happen. We are imperfect. But through those imperfections, God's power is revealed. Like Paul, let's embrace our weaknesses, knowing we can rely on God's strength instead of our own. 

Kristine