When Life is lifing and expectations goes south
After a long week of ministry travel, managing home logistics, and praying about how to shepherd hearts in these tumultuous times, I was helping our daughter with her memory verse for school. I felt weary and, honestly, discouraged myself.
Frustrated and emotionally drained, I murmured under my breath, “This isn’t what I expected it to be like.” It all felt like too much.
Little did I know that her homework assignment, memorizing Joshua 1:7, would be the reminder I needed to jolt my heart back into faith.
One particular phrase tugged at my heart: “Be careful to obey… do not turn from it to the right or to the left.”
I realized I had taken my eyes and heart off the One who holds the whole world, including all my responsibilities, in His hands. I had allowed the demands of life to speak louder than the Word of God.
God knows how easily we can lose focus, so His instructions to Joshua remain just as relevant today: stay focused on His Word and meditate on it day and night. As we keep His Word before us, we gain the faith and strength to navigate difficult circumstances and encourage others along the way.
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you may go.”
Joshua 1:7 (NIV)
Perhaps you, too, have felt the weight of everything happening around the world. Or maybe the challenges in your own life have left you feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, or discouraged. Whatever you face, take courage in this truth from God's Word: when life feels overwhelming, the answer isn't to lose focus, but to stay the course with God.
Consider Joshua's circumstances. He had just stepped into leadership over a people with a history of complaining, rebellion, and resistance. And Moses, his beloved mentor and friend, had just died. The responsibility of leading an entire nation into the Promised Land now rested on Joshua's shoulders.
I wonder what Joshua expected his life and leadership to look like. Perhaps he imagined Moses would continue to guide him through difficult decisions and help him navigate the Israelites' inevitable complaints. Maybe he wondered whether he was truly equipped to lead this vast nation into the land he had once explored with a handful of others.
We don't know exactly what Joshua felt, but we do know he faced enormous responsibility and an uncertain future. In His kindness, God gave Joshua the instruction he needed: stay anchored in His Word. Do not turn away from it. Meditate on it day and night, and obey it.
God didn't promise Joshua a life without challenges. Instead, He gave him a way to navigate those challenges—with courage, obedience, and an unwavering commitment to His Word.
We need that same reminder today.
When uncertainty creates gaps in our hearts- gaps of fear, doubt, and discouragement- we often look for something tangible to fill them. We scroll through social media, read newsletters and articles, turn to friends, or even reach for food to find comfort. None of these things is inherently wrong. But they become unhelpful when we expect them to provide the lasting peace that only God can give.
So today, I want to encourage us to keep God's Word hidden in our hearts and meditate on it throughout our day in prayer, in the car, in our conversations, and in the quiet moments when our thoughts begin to wander. Let His truth shape our perspective more than the circumstances surrounding us.
When life doesn't look the way we expected, when responsibilities feel heavier than we anticipated, or when the world around us feels increasingly uncertain, let's remember where to turn.
Let's keep our eyes on Jesus, remain anchored in His Word, and trust Him to give us the faith and strength we need for whatever lies ahead.