It’s dark. You can’t see the road in front of you. The wind and rain beat against you, and it hurts. You’re in the middle of a storm.
Life throws storms at us, more often than we’d like. And when we’re in the middle of it, we think that we’ll never get past it, that maybe we won’t survive this one. This is the one that will steal the abundant life and the dreams that we had.
When you’re in the middle of a crisis or a trauma, it’s easy to think that this is all there is, that the life you imagined is now gone. But we forget that there is life after the storm, and very often it’s beautiful.
My storms
Growing up, I knew God. I knew at three years old that He was my best friend, and I just knew I was going to have a beautiful life because of Jesus! I knew it!
But at three years old, the storms started. Molestation, abuse, my mom passing, being trafficked, being placed in foster care, painful marriage, divorce, homelessness … if you knew my story, you could see the pattern of abuse and trauma. Over and over and over these storms come up and rage in my life.
After my divorce, I felt like I was unraveling. I felt like I was coming apart. What I didn’t know was that I was in fact breaking apart–so I could be healed. So I could move past the storms. So I could thrive. So I could see God.
What I learned
Sometimes when we go through hard things, it becomes difficult to hear the voice of God. I knew God’s voice, but then He allowed me to go through these things. I started blaming God for my pain. I started cursing Him and telling Him what a horrible Father He was. I shut my ears off to His voice.
Eventually, as I began to heal, I started to hear Him again. He began to speak to me about the purpose for my pain. He didn’t cause my pain, you see, but He would use it for His glory.
He began to show me pictures of where He was as I was going through my abuse. He showed me how He was holding me while my father molested me. He showed me how present He was throughout my life. He showed me that because He had marked me from the beginning of my life, the enemy had come to attack me to try to steal the destiny and abundant life God had set for me.
You too are marked, my friend. And you too have an enemy that throws these storms in your path. How do we get past them?
Living a life of bringing glory to God
If you’re in the middle of a storm right now, I want to tell you a few things. First of all, storms do not last. You can remind yourself that this storm will not last forever.
Remember Noah? Everyone thought he was crazy for following God’s voice. Can you imagine how he felt in the boat? Everyone is dying! This is crazy! Where are You, God? What is this world going to look like after this storm ends?
Now imagine Noah opening the door of the ark after the storm. What does he see? The beautiful rainbow, a promise from God. A promise of beauty and restoration. A promise of abundance. God had not forgotten Him.
God has not forgotten you. He has promised that He will work everything together for the good of those who love Him. If you’re still in the storm, you can rest on that promise, just like Noah did.
Next week, we’ll talk about some practices to sustain you as you go through the storms of life. Just know, He is there, in the midst of whatever you’re going through.
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