When Christians go through a rough patch, they know they are supposed to trust God. But does that mean they have to just grit their teeth and wait it out? According to the Bible, not necessarily. God may minister to us directly, or he may be waiting for us to seek help, so He can help us through others.
As Christians, we are called to gather together in community with other believers. It is important to outwardly express our difficulties and blessings with other brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul expresses this clearly in Galatians 6:2: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
It’s not biblical to keep our hardships and difficulties to ourselves; God calls us to share our burdens with others.
“In the culture that we live in, whether that be American or Western Christianity, there’s a lot of that ‘be better, do more, try harder’ approach to life,” said Brandon Milks, one of the directors of LU Shepherd.
The culture of individualism tells you that you only need to rely on yourself to achieve success. This is not to say that personal growth and hard work are bad or ungodly, but we must realize that we cannot walk through life alone — we are called to live in a community.
When we put on a façade of peace and try to muscle through trials, we cripple our spiritual health.
The concepts of trusting God and asking for help are not mutually exclusive. We were created as relational beings, and Christ intends for the members of the church to encourage each other as they live life together.
Milks expressed the importance of vulnerability to receiving love.
“Until you’re fully transparent, honest and vulnerable, there’s going to be a barrier to the extent that they can fully love you,” Milks said.
If your guide for life is the Bible, then there is clearly a call for faith, love and community. These are the principles that should direct us in the midst of hardship. They show us the balance of faith and biblical counsel.
Still, we can’t forget that it’s our relationship with God that makes this system of community and guidance work.
“I think a big thing is that we have our time alone with the Lord. What do we need to be sharing with other people, and then what do we do with that? The reality is to go and share it,” Milks said.
Sizemore is the POV editor for The Liberty Champion.