I often forget that I don't suffer and go through hardship and challenges to make me weak and worthless. I go through to make me strong, wise and useful to God. God didn't allow me to be rejected and abandoned to hurt me. He allowed it to heal my soul from dependency on people's approval and validation.
I learned major life lessons in my struggle...God is able to do more than I could imagine..."God is my refuge and strength in time of trouble"...."God's strength is made perfect in my weakness"...."God's love endures all things"...God taught me to love those who use me (side note: He also made me wise enough to keep them at arms length too)....I learned it is not always about me. I learned to be less concerned about my image and more about what each experience is developing/strengthening in my soul. I learned I cannot be effective and not be affected (go through something). "Life is like a photograph, we develop from negatives." Whatever we "yield" ourselves to is what we become.
I learned to stop blaming, daddy, mommy, my choices of no good men (no disrespect, if any of you are reading this..there was "no good" in staying in each other's life), my fears, my sickness. All of it was a part of my training/preparation. "It was good that I was afflicted....My troubles turned out all for the best—they forced me to learn from your textbook." Ps 119:71
Why is so easy for us to believe natural principles over spiritual ones...same concepts. When we workout we beleive "no pain no gain" and we will push ourselves until our muscles tremble because we know that's what it takes to get results...we believe "we have to dress for where we are going/success/promotion." But at the same time it is difficult to apply spiritual princles like "faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen"...."we are clothed in His righteousness"....we are asked to "workout (committment/dedication) our salvation with fear and trembling (reverence/respect)."..."His strength is made perfect in our weakness." Why are we not willing to push ourselves to get results/strengthened in our soul? Are we more concerned out our image than who God says we are? What image is being developed in the dark?
We have to be willing to work hard/ endure pain/struggle/press to be strengthened....be willing to give up something to gain more....be willing to "go through" to get through. Our results will be worth it.
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