We can do hard things.
This was a little message that I sent to a coworker a few weeks ago. We were visiting someone at the hospital and had taken separate cars. As we left, we realized we both had the same fear of trying to get out of the parking lot. You know, when you have to pay at that little machine with the huge arm. The machine you can hardly reach through your car window and looks super-complicated and scary? Then, you realize if you don’t do it right, there will be a line of people behind you all impatiently waiting for you to pull it together and figure out what way your credit card fits in.
It’s enough stress to make a person start spontaneously bucket sweating.
So, being the brave women that we are, my friend and I studied the machine on foot, came up with a plan and departed to our own cars. We wished each other the best. I tried to get behind her for solidarity, but she was a few cars ahead. I held my breath and watched. Would she do it?
She got out.
If she could, I could too! I fumbled my way through and soon the giant arm went up and I breathed a big sigh of relief.
We were free.
We were victorious.
We can do hard things.
I’ve noticed I say this a lot lately. To my kids when they are embarking on a new adventure, to myself when I need some extra confidence, to those I see needing a little boost and encouragement. I realize though, that the scale of hard things in life vary from day to day. One day it could be a parking lot, another day you come face to face with something that could change the trajectory of your life. We are faced with issues more involved than a simple robotic arm moving up so that we can keep going, moments deeper than wondering how to get your ticket into a machine the right way.
But we keep going. Amid the darkness and the fear that we often face, we can have hope.
Why?
We can do hard things.
I know this because I see people all around me, doing the hard things:
The one facing a cancer diagnosis.
The parent believing in a healthy report for their child.
The couple trying to make their marriage work.
The individual seeking direction and purpose.
The one feeling the darkness of depression.
The family watching a loved one slip away.
The person feeling a grief so strong it hurts.
You are the doing the hard things. If you find yourself trapped by fear, wondering how you are ever going to make it out of this season and be free from what hinders, you can have hope.
You don’t have to be weary. He gives strength, this anchor to the soul.
You can stand secure. He is steadfast and true.
You can trust. He is unchanging, full of grace and life.
Keep moving forward, keep being brave. Look the situations that scare you right in the face and remind yourself that you can do all things. You have been given all strength. What is in the world is not stronger that what is inside you.
You are stronger than you know.
He is stronger than you could ever comprehend.
You can do hard things because you don’t have to do them alone.
Shelly Calcagno is a co-host of 100 Huntley Street and blogger.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett