For many of us, the roughest seasons of our lives are the times that we rather not think about. We don't want to think about those periods and are happy to act like they never existed. However, how many of us have sat down to look back at the tough moments we experienced? Was there anything you learned? And was it possible to acknowledge that the trial was for your own good?
I've had to look back at some of the saddest times of my life and have learned that those situations contained valuable lessons for my future. Mistakes I could never afford to repeat. Taking the time to think about these things hurt. However, God always held my hand. He also allowed enough time to pass whereby the sting of those memories wasn't too acute. I wish I could have learned the lessons in a less painful way, but I now know that I needed to go through it to get through it, if you know what I mean.
Those experiences, as bitter as they tasted, were for my own good. After all, the Lord has promised that His plans for me are not evil but to bring me into His expected and blessed plan (Jeremiah 29:11). Plus having been through the rough patches, I can declare that affliction will not arise again in accordance with Nahum 1:9. Finally, like King Hezekiah, I can also say, It was for my own good that I had such hard times. But your love protected me from doom in the deep pit, and you turned your eyes away from my sins (Isaiah 38:17 CEV).
Listen, none of us want to go through tough times but God is our Father and He knows best. As much as folks aim for that 'soft life', it is God's responsibility to train us for the non-soft life because it will surely come. Sometimes, the challenge is God's way of preparing His own, other times it arrives because satan's objective is to create difficulties for people. Whatever the case, if we hold God's hand through it all, we would have endured the tough season and become spiritually stronger.
A physical trainer is paid to push a person beyond their perceived limit in order to achieve desired fitness goals. God does the same thing, though we don't pay Him in physical coin. Once we call Him to come into our lives, He has to make sure we have the spiritual conditioning we will need for the trials we will encounter. We don't know what those will be but He does, and we should be grateful He takes the time to prepare us for them. This is why He wakes us up to pray, to praise, and to read our Bible. It is why we have a conviction to fast on issues not only for ourselves but for others. All of this is to build our spiritual muscle.
The training season is undoubtedly tough and while in it, we struggle to see past the pain and discomfort. Yet, a 'trophy' awaits. That trophy is the victory over situations that would have previously broken us. That victory gives us the capacity to use our experience to encourage someone else in a similar position. We might think the training is so tough that we won't make it through but King Hezzy said, "your love protected me." God's love will keep us going when we want to give up because He's right by our side through it all. And, those who wait on Him shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31).
You will get through the turbulent waters of life, for they will not sweep you away. You will pass through rivers and they will not overcome you. You will walk through fire itself and it will not set you ablaze (Isaiah 43:2). At the end of it all, you will not look like what you've been through, IJMN, Amen.
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