The Struggle Bus

by Madison Smith

If you have known me for any amount of time, you may or may have not heard me say, “I’m on the struggle bus today.” The lovely Urban Dictionary defines it as this: “Struggle Bus [struhg-uhl • buhs] noun – a metaphor for a difficult situation, used when things aren’t going your way.”

I don’t know about y’all, but not only have I ridden the struggle bus in my lifetime, I have also driven it. I have wrecked it, and at some point, I’m pretty sure I made it sink all the way to the bottom of Lake Ray Hubbard. The struggle is real, okay? I know all of y’all understand at least one of those “scenarios”.

Literally everyone rides the struggle bus, and on the ride, we tend to look more to our problems more than we look to God. A lot of us have a hard time trusting God with the obstacles we face, and we often forget what good encountering trials can do for us. One of my favorite passages is James 1:2-3 “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

How awesome is that?! We can take our struggles and turn them into an opportunity to glorify God! I know how difficult it is to find joy in the midst of your struggles, trust me. If you take each trial you face and make it a chance to grow in knowledge, wisdom, and endurance, you will eventually start thanking God for the obstacles thrown your way. Weird to think that you could become thankful for things that make life hard, isn’t it? Once you see what powerful things The Lord can do through you when you face hard times, you will learn that God doesn’t do it to punish you. He does it to push you and your faith.

READ EXODUS 14

Do you see how even in their time of trial, the Israelites stood firm and saw the power The Lord so generously (and effortlessly) showed them? We can all do that too. We can stand firm even when it is so hard to. I know how much easier it is to pay a fare for a ride on the struggle bus, stay there, and never grow. But God wants us to glorify Him, especially in our trying times!! I want to challenge you to learn to praise God and thank Him even when it hurts… So quit paying to ride on the struggle bus, and realize that your trials are opportunities to see the power of our Father and to further your faith!