Four Truths for When You Reach the End of Your Rope

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
I Corinthians 13:7 (ESV)

Calgon, take me away! I thought to myself. I am not sure if I can handle one more single thing!

It had been one of those days. And weeks. And months. You know the kind. The period of time when the stress of life piles on and on and on, until one moment, you just snap and exclaim, “I am truly at the end of my rope!”

Sometimes, that moment rushes in quickly. You wake up late, break the heel on your favorite pair of shoes as you’re racing out the door, spill your coffee in the car, and try not to yell or show your embarrassment as your child hugs your leg tighter and tighter at the daycare drop-off. As you pull away, your boss is calling on your cell phone, while in the rear view mirror you can still see the tears running down your little one’s face, while screaming “Mooommmyyyy!!!” Within just a few hours of waking up, you’re already tearing your hair out, dreaming of making a speedy escape from it all. Perhaps Bermuda would be nice this time of year, Triangle and all.

While days like that can be over-the-top frustrating, most of the time I reach the end of my rope gradually. It’s like playing the tower-of-blocks game Jenga. One little piece at a time is moved – taken away or put on the stack - until finally, it becomes too unstable and everything comes crashing down with a bang. Like it did the other day.. When, after a growing sense of pain and pressure from a variety of circumstances, I totaled my car. Yep, that’s right. Totaled it.

I had felt it coming on for a while. My body has a pretty good warning system. Joint pain. Fatigue. Daily migraines. A quick temper. I should have known it was time to take a ”mental health day,” and yet, while I can call in sick at work, I have yet to figure out how to do that at home. Heck, even this article is coming later than I had planned, because just as I was writing it, my daughter came in and announced she had lice! There went the next six hours. Ugh.

Sometimes, it all just gets to be too much.

I’m lucky to say no one was injured in my accident…oh, and $300 (and loads of laundry) later, my daughter no longer has lice. But regardless of the outcome, my nerves feel a little frazzled, to say the least. It’s that feeling of being overwhelmed, drowning in a giant ocean of obstacles and challenges, and trying to just keep my head above water.

I may say to myself, “Just breathe…it will all be OK,” but actually doing it is another thing all together.

Whether we’re drowning in the everyday details or we’ve just been whacked upside the head with a big traumatic event, God encourages us in His Word to let go of our own rope, when we get to the end of it … and instead, reach up to His. And in doing that, we can hold on to four key truths, based upon 1 Corinthians 13:7.

1. God is the support system you can’t live without. When God says “love bears all things” that is a description of what He wants to be for us: a loving Father who supports us when we are weak. When we can’t carry our load of life struggles, He is there to bear the weight for us.
2. God believes in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself. God says He is love, and love believes in all things … including you! No matter how much you may think you can’t do this, or perhaps you’re still beating yourself up for the mistakes you’ve made, God sees the very best in you and knows you can do this!
3. God wants you to keep living in hope. When we trust only in the chaos and confusion of life circumstances, it’s hard to remain hopeful. God wants us to trust in Him, the author of hope. The hope we have in Him is not circumstantial, but rather is steadfast during difficult times, because we know that in His bigger plan that we can’t see, He works all things for good.
4. God is your strength for the long haul. Life may feel at times like a series of sprints, where you’re running as hard and as fast as you possibly can, but the reality is that it’s a marathon. And as any marathon runner will tell you, just finishing the race is an accomplishment in itself. It takes training, patience, perseverance, and commitment to get to the finish line, along with a solid supply of high energy nutrition and life-sustaining water. Without a regular supply of Daily Bread (Scripture) and Living Water (the Holy Spirit) that Jesus offers, we can’t make it through this life. We need His strength for the endurance we need.

Today, as I look back over the circumstances that led me to the “end of my rope,” I see God in the midst of it all. He was there as I grieved over the death of a friend, while reconnecting with another who sat next to me at the service. He was there in the comfort and grace I received from my husband after my accident, and the gratitude I felt that my precious child was unhurt. And yes, He was even there in the middle of my lice crisis, which led me across town and into the path of someone who needed help in that very moment. As I see Him there, ever present, I can relax. Life can get crazy sometimes, but God’s got it all under control. My part is to trust. Let go of my rope. And hold onto His.

Have you reached the end of your rope? If your life is filled with frustration and pain, let go of your own rope, and reach up and hold onto the strong rope that your Heavenly Father has sent down to save you. Then remember, when things get a little bumpy, just keep holding on! 

Four Truths for When You Reach the End of Your Rope originally appeared on Spring Sight blog, by Linda W. Perkins. Click here for more posts. Get even more encouragement by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. 

Many of Spring Sight's posts can also be found each week on Crystal Storms' #IntentionalTuesday,  Kelly Balarie's #RaRaLinkUp,, Holly Barrett's Testimony Tuesday, Arabah Joy's Grace & Truth and Woman to Woman's Word Filled Wednesday.

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