Jimbo's Jots

Blessed be Your name, / In the land that is plentiful,
Where Your streams of abundance flow,
Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name, / When I’m found in the desert place,
Though I walk through the wilderness,
Blessed be Your name.

Poor Job. He had a devoted family, abundant land, and great wealth. Yet in a matter of two tragic events, everything was stripped away, leaving him a broken man. Like Job, we too are often faced with the difficult question: “Why?”

Challenges and obstacles come to us all. Some are small and quickly solved, while others feel monumental. I reached out to friends on social media, asking about the challenges they’ve faced and overcome. Here are some of their responses:

• Sobriety
• Becoming a mother without having a healthy example in her own mother
• Healing from an abusive relationship and discovering a better self on the other side
• Finishing graduate school
• Returning to school to become a nurse while working full time
• Moving to a new job in a new state
• Learning to cope with anxiety
• Experiencing the loss of joy and rediscovering it through counseling
• Surviving a house fire
• Battling cancer
• Losing a spouse at age 45 and raising three sons alone
• Losing unborn triplets

When life feels overwhelming, we often ask where God is in those moments. We expect Him to show up with answers. One friend shared these honest words:

“I was angry, depressed, anxious, uneasy… but I didn’t hide any of that from Him. I may not have read my Bible every day or sung worship songs all the time, but I would sit in silence and say, ‘I’m here. That’s all I have to give. I’m here. Period.’ And slowly, the numbness, anger, and depression faded.”

That’s it. Sitting with God. Not saying anything—just being present with Him. Resting in “the peace that passes all understanding.”

Whether we are living in the land of abundance or walking through the desert place, God is there. And with Him, we can face the challenges and, in time, overcome.

Be blessed! Be a blessing to others!