difficulties

Small green seedling growing between rugged rocks under a cloudy sky — Image generated via AI.

There’s a subtle, painful belief many Christians carry, often silently, often without even realizing it’s there:

“If things are going wrong, it must be my fault.” “If life is hard, I must not be good enough.” “If I were more faithful, more disciplined, more holy… this wouldn’t be happening.”

It’s a heavy burden, and it’s not one God ever asked His children to carry.

The Weight of “Not Enough”

Hard seasons have a way of exposing our inner narratives. When finances tighten, relationships strain, prayers seem unanswered, or grief hits out of nowhere, many believers default to self‑blame.

That voice whispers:

You should’ve prayed more.
You should’ve trusted God better.
You should’ve seen this coming.
You should’ve been stronger.

But Scripture paints a very different picture of how God relates to His people.

God Never Ties Your Worth to Your Performance

One of the clearest truths in Scripture is that God’s love is not performance‑based. Paul writes: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9. Weakness isn’t a failure. It’s the very place God chooses to work. Jesus Himself reminds us: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33. Trouble is guaranteed. Trouble is normal. Trouble is not a sign of spiritual failure.

If anything, Scripture shows that faithful people often walk through the hardest valleys. Think of:

Job, who suffered not because he lacked faith, but because he was blameless (Job 1:1).
Paul, who endured beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment — all while serving God faithfully (2 Corinthians 11:23–28).
David, who was anointed king yet spent years running for his life (1 Samuel 23–24).
Jesus, who was perfect and yet suffered more deeply than anyone.

Hardship is not evidence of spiritual deficiency. It’s evidence that we live in a broken world, and that God is still working in it.

The Enemy Loves the “Not Enough” Narrative

The accuser’s favorite lie is that you’re failing God. But Scripture counters that lie directly: “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1. Condemnation is not God’s voice. Shame is not God’s voice. Self‑punishment is not God’s voice. God convicts to restore. The enemy condemns to destroy.

God Meets You in the Storm, Not After You Escape It

When life gets hard, God doesn’t stand at a distance waiting for you to “get it together.” He steps into the mess with you. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18. Notice: close to the brokenhearted, not the strong. Saves the crushed, not the confident. Your struggle doesn’t disqualify you from God’s presence — it draws Him nearer.

You Are Not Failing. You Are Growing.

Spiritual maturity isn’t proven by the absence of hardship. It’s revealed in the presence of God within hardship. James writes: “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” — James 1:2–3. Trials don’t expose your inadequacy. They cultivate your endurance. They deepen your roots. They strengthen your faith. They refine your character. They do not define your worth.

A Better Truth to Hold Onto

When life gets hard, instead of assuming, I’m not good enough, I must have messed up, God must be disappointed in me. Try holding onto this truth instead: “God is with me, God is for me, and God is working in me — even here.” Because Scripture promises: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” — Philippians 1:6. Not you will carry it on. He will. Your story is not upheld by your perfection — it’s upheld by His faithfulness.

Waiting. The final frontier. To boldly go where no man wants to go. I don’t know about you, but I hate to wait on just about anything. No, I’m not that important, where I have to have everything right this second, but it would be nice.

Just today, my wife, April, is at the hospital waiting her turn to have a procedure done. They told us to be at the hospital at 10:15 AM, but they did not get her procedure started until 2:22 PM. As you know, one is not allowed to eat or drink after midnight before an operation, so needless to say, April was hangry! Yeah, that’s right, hungry and angry. I must say, she handled the delay a lot better than I would have. That’s because she is a very patient person. I, on the other hand, am not. It’s just not one of my finer qualities, although I desire it to be.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges (and traffic and lines that don’t move) come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (Words in parenthesis mine.)
Jam. 1:2-4 (MSG)

Waiting in a line of traffic is challenging, and in a line to be served at a restaurant can be worse. Both are excruciating experiences to suffer through especially when the line next to you is moving, but yours is not. I hesitate to pray and ask God for help because I am afraid, He will put me in more situations to practice. Something I am not a big fan of in the first place. James 1:2-4; What challenging verses to live out!

Probably though, the most difficult thing to wait for is for God to provide help with your finances or a healing. It’s a toss-up between the two. If you are in a similar situation at this juncture in your journey called “life,” be encouraged. It may take a while for God to get all things lined up or to get your heart lined up with his perfect will for you, but He will do it.

So, hang on, hang in there. Keep believing, keep trusting, be patient with God because though you may not see the line moving know it is, and you will not be in that same spot forever. You will reach your destination. After all, isn’t that the goal?

[Post note: The surgery went well, and April is resting and recovering now but prayers are always welcome! Thanks.]