Hey, friends!
Earlier this week, I invited you to push up your sleeves and get to work. Praying “break me” is hard because it requires us to give up the comforts we hold onto so God can shape and mold us in His image. This difficult work often results in suffering. But on page 75 of Dangerous Prayers, Craig Groeschel gives us hope with this:
“We don’t realize what blessings might be on the other side of God’s breaking.”
I want God’s blessings, and I bet you do too. But what’s the journey look like to get there?
Walking through brokenness can be like climbing a mountain. We start at the bottom, but we don’t get to the top in just a few easy steps. It takes time and effort to get to the beautiful view. While a quick bypass to the top would be nice, we would not build the strength or endurance needed for our next challenge.
Once, when heading up a mountain trail, I got so tired I convinced myself I couldn’t take another step. I found a big rock and sat there to wait for the rest of my group to return. I wanted to follow the others, but I couldn't go any further. I felt so powerless and alone.
Sitting there, I suddenly remembered walking on a path like this before. I felt this same exhaustion then, but pushed through to behold the splendor at the top. Remembering this helped me to know, as wobbly as my legs felt, they could climb THIS mountain too. So I got up and put one foot in front of the other. I suffered. I persevered. I climbed a little higher and got a little stronger. I found my group! They showered me with encouraging words and, together, we made it to the breathtaking view.
It’s the same in our spiritual walk. When we walk through storms and trials, we get exhausted. We want to sit down and quit. We wonder if/how we are ever going to make it through the hurt. But God reminds us He lights our path and leads the way (Psalm 119:105). He helps us remember He is trustworthy. He strengthened us before and He will again. He also sends others to offer encouragement and support. And then we share our strength with those we meet. In big and small ways, God’s power shows up in our weakness to help us walk through brokenness on the way to our beautiful blessing.
Are you in a valley? God's there too. He's at work, so don't give up! Push on to where He is calling you and let Him do His good work in you. Continue down that broken, hard path. Your beautiful blessing may only be a few steps away.
Alicia
Let’s Reflect!
When's a time you "sat down and stayed" in a place of brokenness that God intended you to walk through? How did you push through to follow His path?