Finding God's Strength in Highs and Lows

I watched an interview yesterday by one of the Ohio State Football players after the win in the National Championship game. He was discussing the following scripture; “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:12-13So, we’ve all seen the scripture above and in most every case it’s the last sentence that is used in some sort of competition or as a motivation to achieve something great. But is that what Philippians 4:13 is really all about? Accomplishing something great or winning a game? I submit to you, “No, not exactly”...but kind of.You see, the above scripture is a favorite for many to quote, yet it speaks to the most basic battle for all of us as believers; being grateful in the highs and lows. We get to know what it feels like to experience God’s best on the mountain tops and walk through the hard stuff in the valleys. The real struggle is finding Him in the middle of the struggle. A major part of maturing as a Christian is discovering how to be grateful for the smallest things in the middle of our biggest battle. Look, we call all be grateful when things are good and when they’re not. We all experience both. We can look at other people and think to ourselves they don’t know struggle like we know struggle, or they don’t know the pain that I’ve walked in. While they might not know your specific struggle or your exact pain, I can guarantee every believer who has walked the face of the planet, including Jesus himself, knows struggle. The abundance and the need are both a part of our journey and the reason why we know we can do all things through Christ! Let’s all have a great rest of the week, we have so much to be grateful for. Be Nice. Grace Wins.