Today I’ve been thinking about pressure.

There have been times in my life in which I’ve really felt as though God has “taken the pressure off!”

In other words – during certain seasons, God has lightened my load by reducing my daily expectations or responsibilities.

For instance, after giving birth to my first baby, God provided friends who rallied around me. They cooked meals for me and made me cups of tea to drink. They gave my family and I presents – “baby” things, which we would otherwise have not been able to afford.

God basically put people in my life to do all the day to day tasks that my post-caesarean body would have struggled to achieve, at that particular time.

During that stage of life, I remember going easy on myself – I watched a lot of television, I put my feet up and my main focus was breastfeeding… for hours on end! I didn’t even put too much pressure on myself to breastfeed – I accepted all the help I could get!

Recently, I’ve seen lots of posts on social media about “taking the pressure off.” Truthfully, some of you reading this might be in a place where you feel God is quite literally “lightening your load.”

Maybe you’ve lost a family member, or maybe you are going through a really difficult time, in which God is sending financial and practical help your way. Maybe you’ve had a baby in the middle of a pandemic and your main focus is feeding yourself and your baby.

However, others reading this might feel as though the pressure is on.

For instance, this week, I prayed for God to release pressure in a certain area of my life.  To my surprise, His answer was: “no!”

“Not yet…”

I think that there are times in our lives in which God allows pressure to remain. Times where I think He allows our characters to be refined, right in the middle of stressful or confusing circumstances.

There is a verse in the bible, written by a wise man called Solomon. He penned:

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death,
A right time to plant and another to reap,
A right time to kill and another to heal,
A right time to destroy and another to construct,
A right time to cry and another to laugh,
A right time to lament and another to cheer,
A right time to make love and another to abstain,
A right time to embrace and another to part,
A right time to search and another to count your losses,
A right time to hold on and another to let go,
A right time to rip out and another to mend,
A right time to shut up and another to speak up,
A right time to love and another to hate,
A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, MSG, my emphasis.

Yes – for some of you – now might be the time to eat the cake and allow extra screen time. God might be wrapping you in a grace that is all about TLC and ease.

BUT – for others of us – maybe now is the time to do hard things, whilst holding onto God.

For me, I believe that God could easily take pressure off my responsibilities, right now… if He thought it was the right time to do so!

Here’s the deal: Some of us are doing really difficult things, we are not giving up and God sees that. He knows the pressure is on and, right now, He isn’t taking it off.

That’s O.K!

If you can relate to the above, I want to tell you to keep going – don’t give up.

Practically: maybe you are following an exercise programme, perhaps you are praying at 5am every morning, or possibly you are producing kick-ass home-schooling lessons for your kids. You could be adjusting your diet to benefit your health or maybe finances are super tight and budgeting is key right now – whatever way in which the pressure is well and truly on for you, don’t give up.

I want to cheer you on.

A couple of months ago – whilst scrubbing my kitchen clean (!) – I listened to a sermon by author and speaker, Christine Caine. She talked about olive oil…

In the old testament of the Bible, when someone was anointed as king, olive oil was rubbed on their forehead as a symbol of being set apart by God. Caine explained that olive oil is made by crushing and pressing olives. In the same way, part of our journey with God may contain a “crushing.”

We go through hard things – seasons in which the pressure is well and truly on! If we hold onto God throughout that “crushing”, we will be left with praise, worship and a story to share of God’s faithfulness to us. We will be left with a refined faith, one in which God has been allowed to refine us. (See here for sermon summary)

The bible says:

(N)ow for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, which is much more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested and purified by fire, may be found to result in [your] praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 

1 Peter 1 6-7, AMP, my emphasis.

If God is keeping the pressure on… that is O.K.

If God is keeping the pressure on… hold onto Him a little tighter.

If God is keeping the pressure is on… get excited, because He’s doing a great work in your heart of hearts.

He’s healing you, refining you and revealing all sorts of magnificent, within your character. Remember Solomon’s words – the crushing is just for a season, just for this time.

And, sure, this time may be hard; but nothing is impossible for God, (Luke 1:37.)

Here is what I really want to tell you: if you believe in Jesus, you have a miracle-worker Holy Spirit living within you. You have Jesus next to you. And God is on your side. You are going to get through this. And you are going to get through this with a great story to tell, a resilience that money can’t buy and a faith that is unshakeable.

Sure, we might face days where our minds tell us otherwise…

Days where we tell ourselves that we are too overwhelmed…

Days where we convince ourselves that we can’t face this again…

Days where we want to cut corners and wallow and spend money and comfort eat…

If you’ve had those days – I am not here to condemn you! I am here to tell you that those thoughts are just thoughts! Truth is, you can do hard things. You can embrace pressure. You can hold onto God.

The bible puts it this way:

I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfil His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] 

Philippians 4:13, AMP, my emphasis.

I want to end this pep talk by asking you to share this message. No, I am not asking you to give me a Facebook share or add me to your Insta-stories… I am asking you to share real encouragement…

Think about it: Have you watched a friend doing hard things lately? Have you spotted your spouse under pressure? Encourage them! Don’t convince them to give up; tell them to keep going! Remind them that you are on their side, praying for them. Tell them that God is absolutely with them; He is helping them to get through!

Yep, for some of us, the pressure may be on… But, if God is not releasing that pressure, then it’s time for us to rally together and embrace it.

What if there is something amazing on the other side of this intense season?

If only we keep walking though. If only we keep on cheering one another on. If only we hold on to the One, who holds us all together.