Have you ever ridden what is colloquially known as the “struggle bus?” It means your life experience for a season (or maybe longer) is filled with struggle — nothing seems to go right, you’re stuck in the mire of circumstances that seem out of control and you just can’t seem to catch a break.

How many times have I felt this way? I can’t even count.

This morning, I saw my eldest kiddo on the struggle bus. She has been sick and is recovering, but didn’t want to return to school today.

She was upset about everything this morning, it seemed. Mostly, she was worried about how much math homework she would have. “I’m going to have pages and pages,” she said. “I feel like I’m bad at math.”

I explained that it seldom occurs that someone is just automatically good at everything – that we have to work on these skills so we can get better. However, it seemed like nothing I said helped. “It’s going to take forever,” she said, defeated.

Whether it’s math homework or an overwhelming pile of tasks or a garden variety of issues and problems that plague me — I can definitely identify with her response to my feeble attempts at help. “This season will never end,” I think when facing so many things. “God, why haven’t you taken this from me? Why am I struggling so much?”

God has better answers than I do, of course. He knows exactly where I am and what is happening — and today, I feel like He’s saying “There’s a bus stop coming up soon- get off the struggle bus and come walk with me.”

God never said that our walk would be easy — in fact, Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.” Yet — we can hang onto the hope in the promise he gives us in his ending statement — “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

When we feel like we’re struggling and every step is a fight, we have to remember Jesus already planned for what we are going through. Nothing is a surprise to him — not even extra math homework. He is not leaving us alone — he is right here with us.

Will our life be all roses and sunshine? Nope. We are guaranteed trouble — but isn’t it comforting to know we don’t have to ride the struggle bus? We can rest in the peace of Jesus and walk our path with him instead.

This week, I want to keep these words in my heart, remembering that Jesus has overcome the world. That this fight is not something that is uncertain or based on my efforts — but that Jesus has already won.

Perhaps with this kind of understanding, my kiddo won’t be so overwhelmed by math and together, we can remember that even though problems present themselves, we don’t have to live in them — we are free in Christ.

May the grace, mercy and peace of Christ overtake any issues in your life this week — remember, you’re not bound to ride the struggle bus forever.