The beauty of hardships is seeing God’s faithfulness carry us through. It is difficult to go through hardships, but God is still with us despite the hard times. There is beauty in hardships. 

Hardships are not bad when we use them as an opportunity to find God’s power and strength to sustain us.

My second labor with my newborn was much harder than my first one. I was expecting it to be easier because I came into it with more faith than during my labor with my first child.

To my surprise, this second time around was so painful that I didn’t think I could continue delivering my baby without an epidural. Praise God that by the time I did ask for an epidural, I was already 9.5 cm dilated and ready to push my baby out. 

I questioned why God didn’t give me a painless delivery, but in my questioning, God reminded me of the beauty of my hard labor which was seeing God’s miraculous power sustain me through. 

Paul in the Bible went through many hardships yet he was able to find contentment through Jesus. Paul says in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength.”

Jesus was the key to helping Paul go through hard times.

As we cling to Jesus during hard times, we will find His strength sustain us through. The beauty of hardships is that it allows us see that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. 

Speak this over yourself: I can do all this through Christ who gives me strength. 

No matter what you are facing, will you look to Jesus and trust in His power to sustain you?

You can do all things through Jesus who gives you strength.

When you’re facing hard times, instead of complaining, take joy and remember that there is an opportunity for you to grow in perseverance and come out stronger in the Lord. God reminds us in James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

We can rejoice as we go through hardships when we remember that God works all things out for our good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Sometimes the good work God is doing through us may not be comfortable, but we are being conformed into the image of Jesus.

The beauty of hardships is seeing Jesus sustain us and seeing ourselves become more like Jesus. God is close to the brokenhearted and it is during hard times that we can gain deeper revelations of God’s love for us through Jesus.

Paul in the Bible went through many hardships such as beatings and prison. At one point, many believed he had died from being stoned and dragged outside the city, yet after His disciples surrounded him, Paul got up and went back on a mission to share the gospel (Acts 14:19-20).

Paul went through hardships and was hard-pressed, yet not crushed. 

How? Because of the power of Jesus working in Him and through Him. 

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-11, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

Our bodies are just earthen vessels (or like jars of clay that are easily breakable), yet we can be hard-pressed but not crushed, confused but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, and struck down but not destroyed because of the power of God living in us through Jesus.

It’s easy to question God’s love for us when we are going through hard times. We may think, “Where is God? Why am I going through this pain?”

While our hardships and pain may be real, we must remember that God too is real and still with us. 

Our hardships are opportunities for us to find God real and see His power and grace sustain us when we could never persevere without Him. We can conquer our hardships and not be crushed through the love and power of Jesus. 

Will you look to Jesus for strength no matter what you are facing? Will you trust that He is for you and not against you?

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬-‭32‬).

Nothing can separate you from God’s love — not even hardships. Jesus tells us that we will face hardships but that we can have courage because He has overcome the world, which means that we too will overcome our hardships through Jesus. 

Romans 8‬:‭35‬, ‭37‬-‭39‬ says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Through Christ, we can conquer our hardships by persevering. Our perseverance is proof of God’s love sustaining us.

Remember what Romans 8:27 says, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Not even death can separate us from God’s love because in Jesus we have eternal life. Trust that Jesus is always with you. Lean on His Word and strength when times get hard and you will find His love real to sustain you. Ask the Holy Spirit for Bible verses for strength and courage in difficult times.

So remember, there is beauty in hardships. 

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for being our strength in times of hardship. Help us to see the beauty in every trial as You sustain and transform us through Your love. Teach us to trust in Your power and rejoice, knowing that nothing can separate us from Your unfailing love.

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Bible verses for strength and courage in difficult times

• “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
• “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
• “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
• “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.” – Psalm 91:1-6
• “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” – Psalm 23:1