The heat dies down a little (yay!), pumpkin spice lattes are available once again(yay!), school starts back up (yay!), and now everyone is sick (boo). The unofficial start of fall is supposed to be a time of hope and optimism, but part of that means a bunch of kids reconnecting and meeting germs that they haven’t seen all summer. And because we’ve all done such a good job teaching them to share, they pass it on to the adults. Thinking back on my own time in grade school, I definitely missed way more second days of school than I attended.

There are times in life that we are excited to get started—a new project, a new job, a new school, etc. However, in the process we hit a wall that slows us down. It is in those times that our resolve is tested. Finding out that the thing you want is going to be harder to obtain than you first thought means we need to make a choice: go on or give up?

Obviously, missing a couple days of school is not enough reason to give up. Then again, it can leave you feeling lost and as though you’re falling behind. When you feel like you’re falling behind it is time to ask for help. Peter puts it this way,

1 Peter 5 6:11 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your family of believers throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Being humble is hard, being patient is harder, and trusting can be the hardest of all, but we can put our hope in the promises we have received from God.