Lord Jesus,give me fortitude and the strength to conquer whatever comes my way. May your grace and mercy forever surround me all the days of my life
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go Joshua 1:7
As a single mother who suffers from anxiety and depression, this verse from Joshua is pretty much the exact opposite of how I feel some days. However, I do know that despite how I feel,I am in fact being strong and courageous every single day that I continue to fight for my life and be the mom that my kids need me to be, no matter how badly I want to hide under a rock eating chocolate and drinking wine. I know that God has a plan for my life that involves more than simply staying at home, avoiding situations that require me to be brave.
That move across the country, leaving your job and becoming a one-income family, the medical decision that needs to be made, etc all require fortitude to make the right choice for yourself and/or family, and have the courage to follow through with it. Oftentimes the right thing to do is also the hardest thing, and we can be filled with fear and anxiety rather than courage and strength. Sometimes the decision that needs to be made is painful or scary or difficult. The definition of fortitude in the dictionary is “strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage.”
Life is full of pain and adversity and it is so easy to feel like we just can’t handle any more. We beg God to please give us a break, to not trust us with so much, to make things go right just once in a while. As much as it can feel like God isn’t listening or doesn’t care or is too busy taking care of more important things, we need to remember that even if it’s not His plan, He allows us to go through pain and adversity because as a result, we grow as human beings-in our confidence, in our strength, and in our Faith.
To Jesus Through Mary – Adrianna Tucker
