Where do you run?

 Life is beautiful, but it is also broken, messy, and hard sometimes. No one has a picture perfect life. Everyone has to deal with trials of some sort. It's just a fact of the broken world we live in. But we can view suffering as an oppurtunity and even a blessing. That won't make it easy or painless, but it will give you purpose and motivation in your suffering.

Most people, when they're stressed or suffering, run to something. And I don't mean physically (although that could be the case for some). It might be food (like stress-eating). It might be starving yourself (too depressed to eat). It might be TV (shut out the problems and try to forget them). It might be yoga or worldly meditation (emptying your mind). It might be shopping (spending money on yourself and buying things for "self care"). It might be exercise (getting out your anger or agression). It might be something else. But the reality is none of these things really solve our problems. Food or lack of food won't change our circumstances or make the situation better. TV only distracts your mind from the problem, not makes anything better. Yoga and meditation (emptying your mind) only causes you temporary peace as you forgot your problems, but it doesn't solve anything. Shopping and "self care" also may give us temporary relief, but in the end only eats up our money and causes us to be more focused on self, which in turn leads us to have more self-pity for ourselves. And exercise or running are good for us physically, and in a way mentally and emotionally, but again, they won't solve any problems, only help us feel better temporarly.

So what should we run to when life gets difficult?

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus is the only One whom we can run to during the trials of life and find true, lasting peace. He takes away our anxieties and fears. (See Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:7) Run to Him.  He will help you. He will give you true purpose. He will walk with you through your sufferings. He is the One who suffered in order to set you free, and He will not leave you when you experiance suffering. He will refine you and equip you with all that you need. If you trust Him and wait upon Him He will give you perfect peace:

Isaiah 26:3 "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."