It was my weekly grocery day, and I was in the store. I noticed a young father with his three girls buying groceries. A lot of groceries. He pushed the family-size cart, which was full. The oldest daughter pushed the small cart, which was loaded. The middle child was pushing the child-size cart, and it was also packed. I really thought nothing of it and carried on with my shopping.

When I made my way to the checkout line, I noticed the line was at least six people deep. That surprised me, because it was early enough in the day that the store isn’t usually too busy. Fortunately, the line moved quickly even though only two checkout lanes were open. I noticed the young father in the farthest open lane, and his checkout time seemed to be lengthy.

The older gentleman in front of me made it to the open lane that was near those of us waiting. I noticed his small cart was packed full of groceries. I wasn’t really paying much attention to him, until I heard him tell the cashier that his card should have three hundred dollars on it. I looked up from my phone to see that his card was declined. When the cashier asked what his balance showed on the screen, he said sixty seven dollars. That amount would not go far enough to pay for the one hundred seventy three dollars worth of groceries that had just been rung up. She quietly asked the man if he needed to make a phone call. He said yes. As his cart was pushed to the side, I assumed he would stand nearby to make the call. But no. He left the building. Empty handed.

A few minutes later as I was walking out the door with my cart full of groceries that I was able to pay for, the man was nowhere to be seen. Looking back, I now wonder what was going through his mind as he placed each item on the conveyor belt. I wonder if he was confident he had enough money, or if he was afraid the card would be declined.

Before I finished paying for my groceries, I happened to overhear the bagger tell the cashier that since it was the first week of the month a certain type of cards had been freshly loaded with cash. Now I understood. People with those newly loaded cards were stocking up on their monthly groceries. I thought that must be a terrible way to live. Because if the food runs out before the month does, what do they eat? And if they only have 67 dollars left on their card, how much food can they buy?

Times are tough for many people. Not everyone has enough income to make it through the end of the month. They struggle to feed and clothe their families, and I wonder what they do when an emergency strikes. We never know when our time of hardship may come. It could be just around the bend.

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God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Psalm 46:1-3

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Just this week, a family from our community lost their unborn child. Their first child. Gone before she got to have a life. And another family in the community lost their eleven-year old daughter. Brain tumors that couldn’t be stopped. Gone at such a young age. An only child has now left her parents childless. Both sets of parents are heartbroken and grieving. They’re both turning to the church for comfort and support.

Another person who has struggled with personal choices comes to mind. Living in a hotel room and surviving paycheck to paycheck keeps him humble and clean. He’s working to make better choices, all the while knowing that he has faltered on his journey more than once. He’s turned to God and the church to help him with his struggles. Many are coming alongside him to hold him accountable and help him choose alternatives to addiction.

Someone else now facing her second battle with cancer in a year crosses my mind. Just as she was recovering from the after effects of chemo and radiation, she’s now facing a new diagnosis and treatment plan. Her faith is strong, but her body is weak. Her years are advanced, but her faith in God is ever strong.

We aren’t promised an easy and carefree life. Our struggles aren’t always financial or health-related. It could be a relationship issue or long-term consequences of previous battles. Struggles are very real. Some are by choice and others by chance. But we walk through them regardless of the cause. It doesn’t mean that God has it out for us or has forgotten us. It means that life happens to each of us, and waves of trouble will roll through our lives.

We must remember that God is for us and not against us. He doesn’t cause our problems, but he allows them to come. We must know that God knows far in advance what is coming our way, and he will walk with us each step of the journey if we put our trust in him. It’s through these trial that our faith in God can deepen and our walk with him can be renewed. We have to trust his promises and know that they are true.

Life on this earth will never be perfect. Our faith in God is the steady force that will sustain and guide us during those difficult times.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23