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I had watched an amazing movie a couple of years ago, “Homeless to Harvard, the Liz Murray Story.” Liz was raised by drug-addicted parents but became homeless at 15 after her mother died of Aids and her father moved to a homeless shelter. She completed four years of high school in just two while living on the streets and eventually won a full scholarship to attend Harvard.
What was her secret—her driving force? As she told one of her high school deans, she simply had no choice. She saw her life and didn’t like it. She didn’t want to end up like either of her parents, and she knew she must make things happen for herself or they wouldn’t happen at all.
Yours and my stories may not be quite as sensational as Liz’s, but life has given all of us our share of challenges. You may be divorced, widowed, or never married, and you wonder why? You may be unemployed, deep in debt, or trying to figure out how to pay next month’s rent. These are major obstacles that Satan would love to use to defeat us. While God didn’t promise to take us out of our troubles, He did promise to see us through them:
“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.” (Psalm 37:39)
Liz didn’t sell herself short, and neither should you. God loves you. You are special to Him, and He wants you to succeed in all you do. He has a plan for your life, and He’ll be there to see it through. That’s God’s part, now here’s what you can do:
Reflect on each area of your life—spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally—and think about the direction your life is taking you in each of those areas.
Realistically set new goals and challenges if you don’t like what you see, and ask God to show you how to make those changes.
Recognize that you can’t got it alone—you need God to guide you, and you need a support group of your brothers and sisters to pray and encourage you along the way.
Rejoice in the face of difficulties, knowing that you’ll get through them with God’s help. The bonus for you is that you’ll become stronger and more compassionate through the process.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV)
Click here for an inspiring video about Liz Murray:
