79 | Finding God In The Hard Times

In this episode of the Restored Mind Podcast we are talking about the importance of meeting God in the hard times and what you can during challenging seasons to to draw nearer to him.  I will share with you my discoveries while in the desert visiting the Petrified National Forest.  I highlight a couple biblical verses that will encourage you to look at your adversities in a different way. Relying on God and finding joy in both prosperity and hardships will be a key component in how you overcome the challenges in your life. Yes it's hard, but you can do hard things. 

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It's time to become to the mom you want to be. You can do hard things!
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"- Philippians 4:13

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Hey friend, welcome to the restored mind podcast, where we are going to be talking about various life topics surrounding mindset transformations. These topics are coming from a faith lens and will propel you into a life of peace and joy. My name is Caroline, wife, mom of three, daughter of the one true king. Host of this podcast and certified light coach through the I am system by Painting Vehicles Incorporations. My hope is that this podcast brings God's light into your life and you break free from the chains that are holding you back. Friend, it is time to shift your mindset into one that will help you flourish. Ready? Let's go. Hello, and welcome to the restored mind podcast. My friend, how are you doing? My name is Caroline. If you are new here, welcome to the restored mind family. I'm excited to have you here. I hope that you'll stay for the long haul, but if you're only here for this episode, I hope that you find encouragement and inspiration from this episode. If you are a returning listener, hello, my friend. I'm excited to have you back and excited to be here with you. I am beyond honored to even be able to have the space so that I can talk to you? As I was reflecting back on our trip and the move here and all the break and everything that I've had with the podcast, it definitely made me become more appreciative of the fact that I get to do this. So it's just become something that has been at the foresight of my mind. And I just wanted to share it with you that I never really realized how special the restored mine is until we ended up moving. And I took a break away from recording episodes and doing all the things for it. But that's just to say that I'm just especially thankful for all of you. So last week we talked about taking yourself seriously and moving past. That a dreaming stage of reaching your goals. I talked about the importance of having the mindset and attitude that you will need to help you move past the season and answered the questions. Many of you often wonder in your own mind. Well, what if no one understands me? And how do I get people to take me seriously? Then I shared some next steps in that episode as well, to help you move forward in that particular season of your life. So if this sounds like something. That you want to hear more on check out last week's episode. It's such a good one. And this week. We are going to talk about meeting God and the hard times and the importance of it. What can you do to find him during the challenging seasons of your life? Everyone. Goes through hard times, no one is immune to it. And I think that all of us here can agree at some point in our life, we've gone through something difficult or maybe that is today. And it's not that you go through hard times, only one time, but there's multiple seasons in your life where you do go through growing pains or just news that you've received as hard for you to carry. When we are facing challenging times, we have a couple of options. One is that we can turn to ourself or we can turn to God. On our way to California, we stopped by the petrified national forest. And if you ever get a chance to do that, I would highly recommend it. This particular stop was not a planned stop. It was just something that we saw a sign for off a highway. And my husband and I decided that we were going to take a spontaneous trip. We didn't think that we would be there as long as we did. But overall, we're very thankful that we took that trip because it was the most breathtaking thing that we've ever seen. When you enter into this part, there's a couple of points that you can drive to and take certain hikes and view certain things. And so. We were just driving around to certain lookout points. And there was this particular point that my husband really wanted to go to. It was the one with the hieroglyphics that were on the wall. Now, when we got there, we realized we couldn't go up to it because it was fenced off. And there was a scope that you'd have to look through to see the hieroglyphics, But the entire cliff was not fenced off. And so that meant that we could go over to the free edge if we wanted to. But there was no safe way down. And I'd say that with so much caution. So if you go and decide that you want to go towards the cliff, be very careful. I'm not telling you to go and do it. I'm simply sharing this with you because it is a part of this particular journey that I had. Anyway, my husband and I were looking at the hieroglyphics. And then he asked me to go to the other side where wasn't fence to sit down so that he could take a picture of me. And at first, I didn't think it was that big of a deal because it didn't look like I was the high off the ground. So I thought. Sure why not? It couldn't be that bad. I started making my way out towards that particular, free edge of the cliff. As I'm walking, I'm still thinking, you know, this isn't so bad, but it got pretty scary when I was looking down and saw how high up I was. And if you know me Heights are not my thing, I'm terrified of Heights. So of course in my mind, I was freaking out. But I sat on the free edge anyway, and honestly could not wait to get off of Because I could feel the bottom of my feet tingling since it was kind of hanging off the ledge a little bit. Once I sat down, I took a deep breath and I began to take in the view that was before me. It was endless sand and I was in a terrain that I had never seen before in person. I got swept away by the beauty. Of God's creation. It was such a beautiful moment that I forgot how scared I was or how hot it was outside. overall it was such a beautiful, beautiful scenery. I remember seeing sands for miles. I mean, I could see the highway too, but it was just so small compared to where I was at. And. It was just so beautiful to see the magnitude, the beauty of God's creation. And I know I kept repeating that, but I just still cannot get over it. And it's been a couple of weeks. I'm reflecting all my time in the desert with you because as I was sitting on that cliff, I thought about how important it is to look for God in all circumstances. Yes. Even the hard ones. Now, I don't know what hard things you're going through. If it's something that's temporary or something that you've been dealing with for a long time, but I can tell you that it is more beautiful with God. In the midst of all of this. And sometimes we can feel trapped in our challenges and wonder why me or. How is this fair? What did I do to deserve this? And it's even more frustrating when there isn't a solid reason for the questions that you might have as to why all of this is happening or why you're going through what you're going through. And I get it, things happen and it can feel like an inconvenience in your life. You already have a lot going on and you're only trying to get through life or really you're trying to get through this day. I wanted to share a part of Ecclesiastics with you that brought this to light for me. And I hope that it inspires you to look at your situation. The same way. It is Ecclesiastes CS chapter seven, verse 13 and 14, and I'm reading it through the ESV version. it reads considered the work of God who can make right. What he has made crooked. in the day of prosperity, be joyful. in the day of adversity consider God has made the one as well as the other. So that man may not find out anything that will be after him.. And so, yes. While on the outside your hard times, whether it's something that you're currently experiencing, you've been dealing with it for a long time. And you're just unsure of where to go, what to do. It can look ugly to the people around you. And even to you, as you're looking at your own situation, but it most definitely is going to feel unpleasant. it is still beautiful because God created them. As you're thinking about this verse that I just read, you might. Think that this is the perfect opportunity to insert your anger and frustration, cursing God for what has happened. But my friend, let me remind you that the enemy would love for you to run away from the father instead of seeking him. He blesses you with many gifts. Simply put. Despite whatever good at bad things has happened in your life, you simply are in existence because God's willed it. The hard times that you are going through is to remind you to fix your eyes on him. If he gave you everything that you wanted, chances of you placing him at the bottom of your list would be high. Think about it. It's probably already hard to keep him first now with the good and the bad things in your life. All I'm saying is most of the time we get distracted with worldly things, even when we try not to. And so we fall short. at keeping God first and going to him when we are. Going through difficult situations. It is important to continue looking for God in the hard times. The scary times. And even when things are unknown, We do it when things are good. So why do we forget that? The same God who gives us days of prosperity is the same God who gives us days of adversity. We cannot change what has already been set in motion, but we can seek him in all things. And for all things. As I'm talking about looking for God, The hard times. You're probably thinking about your hard situation and wondering why you would want to look for God. in this set of challenges that you're facing, I would say is because one, it keeps you grateful. It changes your heart posture and your mind to see his work at hand and gives you an opportunity to simply say thank you for the small things that you don't really think about until it's taken from you. Like breathing, for example, you don't really think about it. You just do it, But if you have a sinus infection or a cold. Breathing becomes a little bit more challenging and you start reflecting on how much easier it was when you could just simply take a breath by breathing in, through your nose instead of your mouth. Then they're done that. It always turns out bad because then my throat gets sore and it just gets all kinds of messy. I know that you can relate to that cause I'm pretty sure you've had a cold or a sinus infection at one point in your life. But the good thing is that when you are practicing being grateful and you're thinking God for. All the small things and helps you see how many different gifts he's already given you. It's not always about being grateful and the big and wonderful times, but also for the small things that you have. You want to look for God because it also reminds you to rely on him. I said at the beginning, when we face hard times, we either look to ourself or to God. And that doesn't mean my friend, that when you look to God that you stop working, you still do the work that needs to happen in your daily life. But when things are out of your control, It is best to rely on God's strength and not your own. The heart verse for this podcast is Philippians four 13. And before I share with you that verse, I want to also highlight what Paul says in verse 11 and 12. And he says, not that I am speaking of being in need for, I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any circumstances. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need. And then. Philippians four 13 says I can do all things through him who strengthens me. So as you can see, it's not just the physical strength that you have, but the strength and being obedient. Paul talks about. How he is able to be content when he is facing abundance. But also when he faces adversity. And so the question that I think we should be asking is how are you seeking for God, even in abundance and how is your faith? When you are in adversity. It's not about relying on yourself. But on God. And of course, when you seek God in hard times, it also reminds you of the love of God. When you go through hard times. It's so easy to look at only the bad things. You wonder where the mercy and the grace of God is at, and you can begin feeling alone but if you take a look at what is around you and what you're able to do, There, you will find his grace in mercy. That for me speaks into gratitude, which we just talked about. It might not come in a big box with a cute, fancy bow. It could just be that you made a small progress in the midst of the challenge that you're growing through, but that's still a reminder and still gives you something to be thankful for celebrate those small wins because those small wins is going to be how you end up telling the story of how you overcame the situation that you're in. And of course, when people come and ask you about how you got over the situation, because what they see. Is where they want to be. You get to tell about the small wins and how you overcame the adversity that you were facing. We just talked about the importance of why you want to look for God in the midst of your challenges. Now the question is how, how do you begin looking for God? Well, I would say my friend to simply read the Bible. His words are true and trustworthy and full of manna for your heart And of course, it also gives you corrections for your heart posture and the intentions that you have. it doesn't always feel good to be corrected or to receive what I call kingdom spankings. But you'll be better for it. If you are open to these corrections, you'll find that God is chipping away at you so that you can be changed from within. We just talked about gratitude, right? So wake up with gratitude. That's one way you can look for God. Don't start off your day by mumbling about how your alarm went off and how you are dreading going to work or facing the day, but simply greet God with gratitude. And then finally pray not for miracles to happen, but for you to be reminded of his goodness. And so how do you become reminded of his goodness by reading the Bible? We pray all the time for God To work miracles in our life. But how often are we praying for him to remind us of his goodness and sovereignty? See, our days are not always easy. And while the good days bring joy. Hard times will either fix your focus on only the bad things or give you a fighting mentality to continue on with the best that you can give and trust me. Giving up will always be a temptation away. It stays knocking at your door. It's going to be the back of your mind, especially when you're facing adversity. So ask yourself and answer honestly, is this next hard thing? Going to be the one that takes you out. You are one person facing many challenges. My friend be reminded. That's the one who created such a wonderful details of this earth has also gone before you. So place your belief and him and his ability trust in him. You get to make these choices. So choose with genuine intention. Whatever this season looks like for you, do not give up. in the heat of the desert, whatever this desert looks like for you, the challenge, whatever that looks like for you. You'll. Still feel God's mercy and love. If you choose to see the blessings given to you. And the desert. On that cliff, I felt the heat. It reminded me of God's overwhelming amount of love. And I thought. This heat could either be seen as his love for me. or, what happens if I depart from him? My friend. in this hard time, will you choose to seek him or will you depart from him? And yes, I get it. Life is hard. But you can do hard things. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to listen in on this episode. I meant what I said. You can do hard things, so don't let the daily challenges stop you from reaching your greatest potential. If you are ready to take the next step in your journey and are finding that you are in need of help and would like someone to keep you accountable, call I would love to offer you my life coaching services. Click on the link in the show notes to get started there. You will also find links to my social media pages where you're able to connect with me as well. My friends, I look forward to speaking with you again next week here on the restored mind podcast. Go in peace.