I’ve never been one to enjoy traveling. Now that we live far from family traveling is our new normal. Late last year, we were on our way home from Charleston. We had been with extended family for a whole week and we were anxious to get back to our mountains.

As we neared Asheville and as I neared the end of a book, a thick, musty fog surrounded our car.

It was so thick that it was hard to see a single thing outside of our windows. Even my son in the backseat said, “Mom, I can’t see anything.”

It’s an uneasy feeling when you’re the one driving. I watched as Robbie adjusted his position to pay close attention to the car directly in front of us because it was the only one he could see.

I looked back down at my book and kept reading but I couldn’t help but draw the comparison between  the fog we were driving through and the “fog” I felt like I had been in. I had freshly come out of a hard time. It started with an overwhelmed feeling that led to anxiety. Our full schedule, life’s demands and the lies that I were believing in had me  so discontent.

Tension in our lives is very uncomfortable. Quite often what many of us do during a hard time is try to take control over our situations. We strive to fast forward past whatever we are facing to get to the other side.

What I have learned about going through a fog is you can only see what is right in front of you. Whether it’s a personal struggle, a strenuous financial season, or a strain in your marriage it’s an uneasy feeling not being able to see what’s beyond the tension. We can’t fast forward time.

Oddly enough, I think this is exactly what God wants us to see- what is right in front of us.

Prior to Christmas, my husband and I ventured into counseling. (I am a huge advocate for counseling by the way.)

And let me tell you, this time with Robbie has been one of my most treasured memories. As uncomfortable as it was going through our pasts and redirecting our marriage it was extremely worth it.

There were many times in the process where I wanted to fast forward the time to get to the other side but this idea wasn’t realistic. As much as I wanted to escape the fog of my own self-doubt, insecurities and my past God was pushing me towards healing. This process couldn’t be rushed.

I love what Kelly Minter says in her new bible study All Things New, 

“I’ve yet to meet a person who enjoys suffering, but I’ve met many who’ve found intact with Jesus in the midst of suffering. There are certain parts of Jesus you just can’t know on a path of ease, and once you’ve tasted that closeness with Him you wouldn’t trade it for the smooth course.”

And I’ve experienced just that. I stayed in the tension and I found a closeness to Jesus and freedom from my past that was dictating my present.

I’m not sure what kind of “fog” or suffering or trial you are going through right now but I want to encourage you to lean into it and remember these two things:

1. You never have to go through hard times alone (2 Corinthians 1:3-11) even if you feel alone.
2. As much as escaping or ignoring seems like the easy way out, there is so much hope and peace found in the fog. Hidden treasures just for you are waiting in the darkness to be discovered (Isaiah 45:3).

I am realizing more and more these days, we are very limited in our understanding. We won’t always get “it” right. We are bound to make mistakes and we all have weaknesses. Seeking out help is healthy.

Everyone struggles but our struggles don’t have the final say. 

You and I can make a choice to face the fog directly. We can ask for help and be expectant of what God will do through it. Worth, peace, strength, and an enlightened sense of clarity may be waiting on the other side for you. And It’s freeing to say the least.

If this is you today, hold on friend. Lean into your weaknesses, lean into the hard parts of your story, and embrace the tension. God is at work.