Making It Through the Middle: Hope and Help When the Journey Seems Long

Have you ever stopped to consider how many of the Lords truest disciples experienced a less-than-perfect past? Often when we read the scriptural account of their struggles, we go to the end of the story--the part where everything works out as it should. But the reality of life is that the journey from where we are to where the Lord wants us to be is often filled with detours and obstacles, discomfort and pain--just as it was for many of the Lords disciples. When we are caught in the middle of a trial and the journey seems to be harder and longer than we can endure, how do we maintain the faith, hope, and courage necessary to keep moving forward?