The Struggle

While on our vacation in Colorado my grandson decided to climb up this sand hill. As I watched him I got the idea for this blog. The first photo is of him moving up the hill  shot from below. I moved around to  get a different point  of view which is where I got the idea for this blog.

From my first view point I was down below him and I was just watching his struggle. Have you ever found yourself watching someone else's struggle as if you were below or above them? Your vision of what was going on was from either being above or below what was happening. Because of that you approached their struggle from that prospective.

As I moved around to get a photo from a side view I had to struggle up the adjacent hill. Now the struggle my grandson was going through I was experiencing in my own life.

When we have friends who are struggling with an addiction or some other major problem in their lives we can better understand it if we get intimately involved. What I mean by that we better understand if we have struggled with a similar problem or if we take the risk and come along side of them as they struggle. Getting our hands dirty in their lives and giving them our time and attention.

As my grandson struggled up the hill we were on another hill yelling encouragement to him as he moved up the hill. The struggle got harder not easier as he reached the summit but because of the encouragement he did not give up and eventually reached the top.

Your friend that is struggling will receive new strength when they hear your words of encouragement from you. 

As a Christian I believe our true strength comes from the involvement of the Holy Spirit in our lives but God almost always works through the lives of other  believers.

 

My grandson reached a point higher than the rest of us and as he came down the hill it showed on his face and walk. The same will take place in your friend by hanging in there and by not giving up they will reach the summit. and then they will celebrate with you the victory. 

I encourage you to not move away from a friend who is struggling. Move toward them and risk getting involved in the mess of their life. You could be just the person God wants to use in helping them gain victory over their problems.

If you do you just might share in their celebration of freedom.