Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
A traumatic experience shows you who you are. It shows you your character. It shows you how your thinking tends to lean. What needs to be cleaned up and worked on? You show up in a crisis as who you are and where you are at. You’ve reached rock bottom. You're exposed. You are pulled out of your comfort zone and left questioning everything. It is the beginning of a journey towards healing and evolving. You are being stretched. What will you become? Will you retreat, or will you expand?
Healing takes place through out the journey. There are different phases in the process. In each phase there is movement. At times you may feel stuck like nothing is being accomplished, but rest assured healing and growth are taking place. You may feel raw and beyond the point of believing anything good could come out of something so awful. But know God pulls good out of everything.
You have a choice. You can show up defeated or show up as a conqueror. You can give up or you can go all in. You can do it alone or you can seek help. God wants you to seek Him. What assurance do you need today? How can God let you know how very much He loves you and how much He cares? What are you doubting? How can God let you know everything is going to be OK?
The enemy wants you to believe nothing will ever be OK again. He wants you to focus on all that you lost. He works to keep your mind in despair. God moves you forward slowly and the enemy whispers, “this is taking too long.” God heals a bit of your heart and the enemy asks, “why not all of it right now?” God protects you from the wrong people coming into your life and the enemy says, “where was God before?” God assures you and the enemy discourages you. The enemy fills your mind with questions and doubt. He encourages you to cling on to all you knew. He wants you to choose to retreat and give-up. He doesn’t want you to recognize the work God has done and be grateful. The enemy wants you to question God. He wants you to doubt yourself and your strength. He is slowly trying to push you to give up.
God never leaves you alone. Gently singing He pulls you back to the knowledge that you are alright. No matter where you are or how you feel, you are going to be OK. You may be looking for guaranteed comfort that is guaranteed all the time. But you won’t always be comfortable. Make peace with discomfort. Do not lose hope. Hold on and keep focused on God. Take it one step at a time. Some days will be hard and some easy. As you get further into your journey the easy days will outnumber the hard. Count yourself blessed on both kind of days. Growth is happening. God is with you. He does not send you through anything alone.
Your strength comes from God. Your contentment comes from God. Your ability to sit in discomfort and find peace, comes from God. Your ability to expand comes from God.
Expand! You’re gonna be OK!
Prayer
Father God,
Thank you for your strength that provides me with support and assurance. Thank you, the goodness you pull out of traumatic experiences, and the gentle way in which you do it. Some days the journey feels so long. Some days the journey feels like nothing good will ever come out of it. Forgive me for questioning you and for doubting myself. Forgive me for not recognizing and being grateful for how far I have come. Help me to stay focused on you and always know I can do anything through Your strength. Help me to accept moments of discomfort and know they will pass. May I still find joy in those moments.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
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