A couple of friends recently helped lead a mission trip into a neighboring country. On the way they got stuck at the border as a customs agent tried to coerce a $100 bribe out of them. It wasn’t until 2-3 hours later that they were able to move on with the trip, their pocketbooks being creatively lighter after covering the cost of certain fees. The trip was great in the end, but the fruit did not come quickly or easily.

The problem of harassment seems to be typical of almost every step we try to take in a positive direction. What happens as soon as you choose to eat right? Donuts suddenly appear! Begin your new exercise plan? Head cold! Decide to start a budget? Large car repair bill! And so it goes in practically every area of life.

Several years ago, God began to unfold to me an understanding of identity unlike anything I’d seen or heard to that point. Soon a vision was born and Search for Me Ministries, Inc. was launched. Writing about the experience is relatively easy compared to all of the research, hard work and faith that encompassed this new endeavor.

Eventually a vision for The Search for Me Identity Series was birthed, but that was just the beginning of the uphill climb. A multitude of needs had to be met and a wide variety of people employed. And time! Editing video and text took soooo much time! I’ll spare you the mundane details, but in addition to the work involved, practically every step forward was met with one type of harassment or another.

Whacked out weather. Health issues. Equipment problems. Technical glitches. Financial needs. The list goes on . . . and on.

And yet, our project is now complete and we’re on the verge of launching our online store! We’ve been able to accomplish something that should have never been possible for an organization with such limited resources. Through all of the adversity, challenges, obstacles and needs, our God faithfully met us every step of the way. Still, the process was way more difficult than expected. Why is this?

Our world is cloaked in darkness. The kingdom of light gleams brightly on the horizon, but darkness releases its death grip neither quickly nor quietly. Crossing the border into new territory is always met with harassment by dark forces intent on holding their ground.

Perhaps you began 2011 determined to move into new territory in your walk with God. Or maybe you had fresh faith for the welfare of your loved ones. Weary of the same old life with the same old issues, you were ready for a new stage of your journey.

But barely four weeks into the New Year you are already struggling, thinking that, for you, change is nothing more than an impossible dream. Trust me in this! Giving up is the last thing you want to do!

Over the next 3-4 posts I’ll share a few thoughts that I believe will help to facilitate real and lasting change in your life. But until then, I’ll leave you with a final thought. Just because change is difficult, even extremely difficult, does not mean that it is impossible. Nor does it mean that God is somehow absent from the process. The fact we are so often harassed at the border is almost always an indicator of good things to come. Sometimes we just need to persist even in the face of dark and seemingly impossible circumstances. He will meet us every step of the way—as long as we keep stepping!