Hudson Taylor is one of my heroes. My favorite quote by him is, “It matters not how great the pressure is, only where the pressure lies. As long as the pressure does not come between me and my Savior, but presses me to Him, then the greater the pressure, the greater my dependence upon Him.”
His life as a missionary to China was filled with dangerous adventures that I cannot begin to imagine. In light of his often stressful life circumstances, his outlook on pressure seems even more profound. It’s like he almost welcomed the crazy times as opportunities to trust God more.
Well, I’m no Hudson Taylor, but I’ve recently learned a lesson about relying on God that I thought might encourage you.
Do you ever get frustrated with people you expect to “get it” but don’t? Living with Chronic Fatigue has changed quite a lot about me, and some things that used to be easy are now hard or even impossible to do. To me it’s obvious, yet for many close to me, it’s still hard to grasp. Explaining the same things over and over again can get old. Why can’t everyone adjust to the new me, accommodate my needs and understand everything? Yes, I know that’s a selfish perspective, but I’ve got to admit that thinking that way is my MO.
One day, the feeling of being alone in the struggle bummed me out and I started praying for help. As I prayed, I was struck by the thought that it is because of God’s mercy that my loved ones can’t understand my pain. I realized that it’s not their burden to bear, it’s God’s. The tears came and I felt sad that I expect so much from others and forget that God is enough. I also thanked God for protecting my friends and family. They are blessed to not “get it”, and I prayed that they’d never have to either.
My challenge that I’m extending to you is this: Instead of looking to parents, siblings, spouses, friends, children, etc. to validate your pain and understand your issues, look to God. Yes, I know it can be frustrating when you’d really rather rely on what you’d expect to be your support system, but God will always work out better, and that might be what He’s trying to tell you. Next time you feel let down or irritated that people don’t get it, turn it into thanksgiving that God is protecting those around you from knowing your suffering. If you’re brave, you might even add a blessing that God would continue to keep them innocent in the matter. It seems backwards, doesn’t it? But, as Hudson figured out, God is at work helping us depend more upon Him.
1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”
Thank you for reading my thought of the day. Feel free to let me know yours!
