A Story
She stands.
The grass fresh and soft, lush, like carpet under her bare feet. She walks alone as first light of a new day peers over the horizon. Turning toward the morning sun, eyes glittering, cheeks glowing, she smiles.
Behind her, a gloomy sky looms as her history roars fitfully in the dust. The straight jacket of her past no longer constrains her. It lays lifeless at her feet. Sunlight glistens on the dew of the grassy path ahead.
She steps forward.
A wooden sign hammered to a nearby tree reads:
I know the plans I have for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you. To give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Reading the sign, her heart skips a beat. She never heard those words before. The vague taste of honey lingers on her tongue. She swallows. The words drip over her heart.
Expectancy Propels Her Footsteps
Light seeps under doors of dark, dank rooms in her heart. Darkness cowers and fresh scents of rich soil and spring buds fill the air.
Her life finally begins.
She continues on, unearthing treasures of friendships and a college degree.
As she walks farther down the road the landscape becomes unfamiliar. Diesel fuel contaminates her nostrils and nausea simmers in her gut. Looking over her shoulder she retraces her route. She stayed the path. How did she end up in this uncomfortable place?
The now twisting road hosts boulders blocking her path. Some are easily tossed aside. “What fun!” “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” her heart echoes. She skips along.
Ahead, she glances gigantic boulders, covered in graffiti, securely set in the ground. There are no traces of the dewy grass that once cushioned her steps. The air chills rapidly. She shivers inside.
Graffiti reads,
“You are not wanted.”
“You can’t do this.”
“Everyone is better than you.”
“Who do you think you are?”
Run or Resist
Retreat! Retreat!, her weary heart cries.
In a desperate attempt to right any wrong turns, she whips through pages of her guidebook. The vague taste of honey soothes her tongue. The words drip over her heart. The warm weight of a blanket cloaks her shoulders.
“Who comforts us in all our troubles so we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)
Embracing the pain, she lifts her chin and straightens her shivering legs. Again she stands. This victory verse fortifies her. Her story becomes ammunition for others to defeat the enemy in their lives.
When Weakness Becomes Strength
Try this: Name a struggle in your life.
Insecurity, addiction, etc.
It may not be there 100% of the time but it surfaces often and derails you from the life you really want to live. Sometimes it whispers its subtle message in the back of your mind. “You are weak and you’ll never change.”
In the example above the voice of inferiority and rejection attempt to stunt her growth. Her life verse in 2 Corinthians 1:4 basically says, Yes, I know you are in pain. I will comfort you. You will overcome and comfort others who are experiencing the same struggle.
Another example is Mary, Jesus’s mom. The boulder in her road was becoming a single, teen mom. Although she was afraid, she believed God’s words to her. Mary’s son changed the world.
A life verse for Mary could be-Luke 1:32
Finally, there is the Apostle Paul. Early on his life’s work was murdering Christians. But after meeting Jesus, God partnered with him to spread the Good News around the world and birth generations of Christians. He was almost murdered for it several times.
Life verse-Acts 9:13-16
Purpose Verse
God can use your pain to change the world too.
Has God given you a life verse related to your struggle? If not, can you be brave and ask Him for one?
What is your verse?
Flip this life verse around in your mind this week. Ask God to talk with you about it.
The very thing expected to keep us from living a God-type destiny can propel us into one.
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