I am still here!!!!!!!!
The Storm Does Not Get the Final Word: Finding Courage With Jesus in Hard Times
There are moments when you do not feel brave at all.
You feel tired.
You feel uncertain.
You wonder how many more problems you can solve, how many more disappointments you can absorb, or how much longer you can keep carrying responsibilities that nobody else completely understands.
And yet you are still here.
That matters.
Sometimes we remember the storm so clearly that we forget the person who survived it.
We remember the anxiety.
The sleepless nights.
The financial pressure.
The rejection.
The conversations that hurt.
The plans that did not work.
The seasons when we wondered whether life would ever feel normal again.
But look at where you are now.
You kept going.
Maybe you did not do it perfectly.
Maybe you cried.
Maybe you became frustrated.
Maybe some mornings your entire prayer was, “Jesus, please help me.”
You still kept going.
That is courage.
If you need that reminder today, watch Christian Motivation for Hard Times: The Brave Part of You Is Still Here:
There is a moment in Matthew 14 that says something powerful about the way Jesus meets us in difficult seasons.
The disciples are out on the water.
The wind is fighting against them.
The waves are moving.
They are tired and frightened, and they cannot control what is happening around them.
Then Jesus comes toward them.
In Matthew 14:27, He says:
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Think about when Jesus says those words.
He does not wait until everything is peaceful.
He speaks while they are still surrounded by uncertainty.
The storm is real.
The fear is real.
The exhaustion is real.
But Jesus is real too.
That distinction matters.
We sometimes treat faith as though it means convincing ourselves that nothing hurts.
That is not faith.
Faith can acknowledge the storm and still trust the One walking through it.
You can say, “This is difficult,” and still believe God is with you.
You can admit that you are exhausted and still have faith.
You can have questions and still follow Jesus.
You can be frightened about tomorrow and still take the next faithful step today.
You May Be Stronger Than You Think
One of the strange things about surviving difficult seasons is that we often minimize what it took to get through them.
We say:
“I just did what I had to do.”
Maybe.
But you still did it.
You got out of bed.
You handled responsibilities.
You kept loving people.
You worked.
You prayed.
You adapted.
You survived disappointment.
You started over when starting over was the last thing you wanted to do.
Do not worship your own strength, but do not ignore what God has already carried you through either.
There are days in your past that once looked impossible.
They are behind you now.
That does not mean they did not hurt.
It means they did not finish you.
Courage Does Not Always Look Impressive
Sometimes courage is making another phone call.
Sometimes it is filling out another application.
Sometimes it is apologizing.
Sometimes it is setting a boundary.
Sometimes it is asking somebody for help.
Sometimes it is resting because you finally understand that destroying yourself is not proof of dedication.
Sometimes courage is simply waking up and deciding:
“I am going to try again today.”
That will never make the evening news.
It probably will not earn applause.
But some of the most important victories in a human life happen quietly.
Jesus sees those moments.
He sees the prayers nobody hears.
He sees the fears you do not post online.
He sees how hard you are trying.
And He is not standing at a distance waiting for you to become impressive enough for Him.
He meets people in storms.
You Do Not Need to Solve Your Whole Life Today
This is something I have had to remind myself many times.
When life becomes overwhelming, our minds race far into the future.
What happens next month?
What happens next year?
What if this does not work?
What if another door closes?
What if I cannot fix this?
Before long, we are carrying problems that have not even happened.
Come back to today.
What is the next faithful step?
Take it.
Then take another one.
Say the next prayer.
Make the next good decision.
Handle what is actually in front of you.
Tomorrow will arrive soon enough.
Jesus already knows where the road goes.
You do not.
And maybe you were never supposed to.
Your responsibility is not to know every mile of the journey.
Your responsibility is to keep walking with Him.
The Brave Part of You Is Still Here
If you are going through something difficult right now, I want you to remember what your hardest days have already demonstrated.
You have survived fear before.
You have survived uncertainty before.
You have gotten back up before.
You have begun again before.
And somewhere through all of it, Jesus remained.
So do not mistake exhaustion for defeat.
Do not mistake uncertainty for failure.
Do not mistake one difficult chapter for the ending of your story.
You are still here.
Jesus is still here.
And there is still another step available to you.
The storm may be real.
But Jesus is real too.
Take courage.
Keep walking.
Keep praying.
Keep believing.
And when tomorrow morning comes, show up again.
The brave part of you is still here.
Your friend,
Douglas Vandergraph
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