Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set out before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfector of our faith... Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 12:1-3, RSV

How do we keep going when things are the toughest?

This is one of the questions that the 11th chapter of Hebrews answers when looking at the lives of faithful men and women of all ages, from Abel to Noah, and from Abraham to Moses. The men and women heroes that we read of in the Bible had one thing in common: Faith! It was by faith that they were able to endure hardships that would have ruined most people. They were able to endure all things because they realized that this world was not their permanent home, any more than their bodies were the permanent housing for their souls. In short, they were looking for something that was eternal.

There are times of tragedy in this life when it is most important to remember this hope of our faith. As I write this article there are thousands of people in the Panhandle of Texas who are trying to figure out where to live, because fire has destroyed their homes. There are thousands more who are in the path of this massive fire who are wondering if they are not about to lose their own homes.

Also happening in the past week was the news of one of our dear friends. One of her closest friends lost her baby just days before it was due. Now she and her husband are experiencing a grief that few of us will ever know. 

Things like this take our breath away, and sometimes we wonder how we will keep on going. Many do not and they simply give up and retreat into a world in which they can barely function anymore. At this point some will turn to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain. Some will look for someone to blame and lash out at them. Others will simply give up and end their lives thinking that there is nothing left to live for.

But we cannot do this. The way to get through these difficult times is to let God handle the things that we cannot. These are the times when Paul reminds us to look to the author and perfector of our faith: Jesus Christ our Lord. We know that He did not give up because He loved us so. Even when tired and betrayed, even when beaten and nailed to the cross and mocked, Jesus endured the suffering and the shame because He loved us so.

And He knew that we could not make it through this life without His forgiving blood being shed. So He kept going, enduring the shame of the cross, so that we might have a chance to live. God and Christ knew that there would be hard times in our lives, but they also knew of the reward that they had planned for the faithful. And they have promised us that we would be given any help that we need to get us through the most difficult times, if we will only accept it.

I am grateful to God that I have been spared much of the hardship that some have had to endure, and I am thankful that He has always been there to carry me through when the times did get tough for me and those I love. The key is to keep focus on the fact that our greatest joy still awaits us and our loved ones in Heaven someday. This world is not our home, and if we can keep in focus the reason for our existence, then we will always keep within our hearts the main source of our joy.

We are brokenhearted for those we love when we see them go through life's most difficult struggles, and all of us have had our own moments of struggle as well. These struggles will always be present, but for those who will keep going by faith, there is reserved the greatest joy imaginable.

If we can keep this great joy in mind and never give up on its hope, then by God's grace we can keep on going through the most difficult of times. And, having accomplished this, then we can reach out to others and help them during their moments of great trial. We must never make light of or minimize in our minds the depth of pain that some are having to endure, but we can be there for them when they need us most. And we can pray! And we can help them to remember the joy that is still before them when the pain of these terrible trials begins to diminish. 

In short, the way to get through the toughest of times is to keep the faith that we have in God. This will allow us to do our part. He will always do the rest.