The day has finally come and my mini-sabbatical has come to an end, but I’m glad to be back. I took this time to re-evaluate life and seek direction from God on what He has next for me to do. It was a good time for me and Jesus. But, just like any roller coaster, your ups and downs come all of a sudden. This was me.
During this time, I received some very tragic news in regards to my father. He was recently diagnosed with stage 2 cancer in the lungs. Started off with one lung and now has moved to both lungs.
Being away from home and not being able to help runs deep and hurts to the core. This type of news makes you question life. It makes you question yourself and the decisions you’ve made. It also makes you question God. Just so you know, it’s okay to ask God questions. Job in the Bible did.
This news made me go into a slight depression. Now, a few months ago, I was single and my mini depression episodes, consisted of me hiding in my room, sleeping, and being isolated from the world. Now that I’m married, I can’t do this. I had to be a fully functioning person and wife. I wasn’t able to go home and sleep to wake up the next day and be on auto-pilot all day.
When I heard this news, fears started to arise in me. I’m not going to lie; I gave in to the negative emotions from time to time. How can you not? I’m a daddy’s girl. He still hasn’t walked me down the aisle at my big wedding yet. He still has grandchildren to meet. I started to think this isn’t fair.
I questioned God, why did you send me to Memphis, away from my parents and family? Being away from my family has always been the hardest thing for me since I’ve accepted the call of God on my life. I’m a family orientated girl. I want to be around my family all the time. That’s my safe place. Instead, I’m away from them, trying to do what God has called me to do.
A few other tragic things happened during this time, but that’s for another blog post. It was like the devil just hit me with a one, two punch, and an uppercut. I was laying on the floor, not having enough energy to get back up and fight “the good fight!”
Have you ever found yourself here? Wanting to throw the towel in and just give up? Maybe you lost a family member and haven’t been able to get past the grieving stage. Maybe your house is in foreclosure. Maybe your bank account is in the negative. Maybe you just found our your significant other has been cheating. Maybe you just found out you have your own health issues. Maybe your account is in the negative.
Well, whatever it is, let me tell you… You have to look beyond the pain. Where there is pain, there is purpose!
I had to get out of my flesh and look beyond the pain. We’re human, it’s natural to hurt. It’s natural to feel the pain. But, what you cannot do is stay and soak in that pain, or you will drive yourself into a deep hole that you’re not supposed to be in.
Pain is natural, but faith is spiritual.
My faith had to kick in and get me back on track. No matter what life throws at me, and no matter how hard life gets, I have to trust God. I have to trust that He will work everything out, whichever way life leads. My faith, my trust, my portion comes from God, not what life says I should be, have, or do.
Someway, somehow, God gives us everything we need to get through this life. If we are feeling hurt, he gives us peace. If we are feeling helpless, He gives us strength. If we are feeling taken advantage of, He gives us restoration. If we are feeling broken, He mends us back together. If we are sad, He gives us joy.
What you have to do is to look beyond the pain and let God do His job! God will not bring you this far to just drop you. He brings you this far, to teach you, to help you, to give you a future.
Despite how much it hurts, or how bad it looks, get yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back to holding onto your faith! Without faith, you will lose to what life throws at you. With faith, He can bring you the miracle you need and are searching for.
Get beyond the pain and get back to your faith!
Mark 11:22-24
“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
1 Corinthians 2:5
“So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:7
“We walk by faith and not by sight.”
Luke 1:37
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”