Growing Pains

A few weeks ago I read these words on a blog I frequent:

***Side note – this quote is from Linny at aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com.  I don’t know her personally, but would love to meet her someday.  She is one of the most loving, caring, sincerely God glorifying women you’ll ever even hear about.  And to truly understand this quote, you need to read her recent posts.  ***End side note

Wherever we are,

Whatever our own circumstance,

There are always

People needing us to be His hands and feet.

We aren’t “off the hook” because of our own pain.

In fact, He has placed us wherever we are,

At just that moment,

{no matter what}

To share with those around us.

The Lord is continuously trusting us to serve others on His behalf

No matter our own situation:

Truly a God-sized privilege.

And each time, we are again reminded,

That even in our own weakness,

He is still made strong.

 

This really got me thinking (what’s new?).  In the last year, we’ve had a lot of hurts…a lot of pain and suffering.   Emotional, physical, and spiritual.  It’s taken its toll.  It started almost exactly a year ago, so I got to thinking…what else has come out of this?  Has it just been bad?  Has it just been painful?  Or have we grown?  Have we given God the opportunity to reveal Himself or pushed Him away? 

Where was I one year ago?  How does that compare to where I am today?  (Where were you when “X” happened?  How have you grown since?)
I’d like to toot my own horn and say that I’m a much better person than I ever have been before, but I’ll tell the truth instead…


I was bitter.  I was broken and I took it out on others.  I might not have been super angry, but I just wasn’t present.  I was a complete space-cadet for a while and didn’t take care enough for myself or those around me.  I dropped the ball on things and wasn’t always there for those that needed me. 

The good thing?  God knew.  He walked me through it.  He didn’t care and He loved me anyway.  I am so thankful that I had a faith strong enough to get me through those dark days, and it is because of Him that my faith remained intact.  Nothing I could have done could have prepared me for this year.  His work in my life over the past 25 years was exactly what it needed to be.  My family and friends were exactly the right people I needed in my life at this time.  He gave them the words I needed to hear.  He mended my heart when it was broken and picked me up.  He showed me the woman He planned for me to be and showed me how to get there. 

He showed me the marriage He wanted me to have.  He showed me the people he wanted my children to be.  He showed me how what I was walking through would bless others.  He showed me that, in my weakness, He was again proven to be stronger than I had given Him credit for.  He showed me that, while I was trusting Him, I wasn’t leaning on Him.  He showed me how He could really, truly, use me for His purpose.

You see, I always thought I was letting Him use me.  I’ve always tried to see those opportunities for me to Kingdom work.  But this has opened my eyes to areas where He really needs me.  And I’m so thankful that He’s letting me do that.  Like the quote above, I know He’s placed me exactly where I am “for such a time as this”.  He knew where I needed to be in order to serve Him well.  And He plopped me down in the middle of it and opened my eyes. 


I am so thankful for His plans.  I am thankful for His comfort when I need it most.  We're not out of the woods yet, so I am thankful that I can look to the future with hope because I know He’ll help me through and that He knows the plan.  And I am thankful to know that I will be able to look back on these days with these new eyes and see what a great work He has done.