The very thing that’s caused you the greatest hurt could become your greatest ministry in helping other people.
Have you been in a situation which you asked God for and thought you were prepared for but actually you’re not?
There’s a certain way on how we usually expect God to give us new seasons, breakthroughs and opportunities.
Only to find out that when He opens the path, it wasn’t exactly packaged the way we envisioned it would be.
As someone who is working non-stop for a little less than two decades now, there were a lot of moments that I have walked through this familiar situation — whether it’s taking on a new role at work, or how to handle an unhinged coworker, or worse, being laid off from it.
Some could also be in the form of the most urgent decisions we need to make and daily life events which we don’t even have the option to choose from like a sudden move to a new country, a financial hit in the family that have caused massive lifestyle shifts, or even a diagnosis you didn’t see coming.
During these times, what do you do when it hits you all of a sudden without a warning?
Colossians 1:16-17 ESV reminds us this…
For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
We are being reminded that even when the world gets chaotic and things do not happen as how we’ve planned it, we can trust a God that rules over everything. His sovereignty will cover us and our worries here on Earth.
God is the Source of all things, it doesn’t mean he causes bad things to happen, but he could use it for our good. Romans 8:28.
Question:
So if God causes all things for our good, why can’t He just give me peace about it? Why do I have to struggle?
There could be a lot to unpack with this question but ultimately, if God’s goal was just to let us live a happy and carefree life and enjoy the world as it is and savoring the fruits of being a member of His family, we wouldn’t understand the depth and magnitude of His sovereignty.
Don’t we see that everytime we ask something, God doesn’t give us the finish product. He gives us a seed — an idea, a concept, a download of His plan. He may not give it away once but He gives it enough for us to be able to pass the test and to take the next one with readiness and trust. And sometimes, those seeds come with problems and disruptions.
God, in His loving kindness and mercy, is willing to help us get through our next stage , our next level and new season with flying colors and the only way to do that is to know both the hardships and the goodness of life.
Only by His wisdom can we understand why we can go through a life-threatening diagnosis, or getting laid off at work while raising your young family or getting divorced from the person who you thought would be your partner for life could happen.
But the most important thing here is that when it happens, as much as our human nature falls back to it, we need not to hyperfocus on it. The fiery ordeal in our lives are not meant to destroy us but to shape us for the next stage of our lives.
I used to hear a saying before that goes like this — “God doesn’t waste your pain. He counts all of your tears and puts them in a bottle.”
If that is really true, then we can trust God that all of the trauma, pain and struggles we went through aren’t for nothing.
And someday, when we come out at the other end of it, we’ll look back to see what He was doing all along. <3
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