Exploit your challenges

Last week I listened to a podcast about a woman who was widowed at 25 and had two small children and a newborn.  She said something that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.  She asked the Lord to not let her waste her pain.  That stopped me in my tracks.  It’s a completely amazing way of looking at grief, pain, and loss.

In the past I’ve dealt with intense health challenges. For so many reasons it’s not something I talk about often.  Recently I’ve been dealing with symptoms that I haven’t experienced this strongly for a while.  As I listened to this podcast I realized that I don’t want to waste my trials. I don’t want you to waste yours either.

The amazing thing is that even though we all have painful, challenging things happen in our lives we don’t have to let them win.

As I wrestle right now with my health I want to say this.  God is good in the pain.  He is faithful in the difficult times.  He doesn’t leave me.  He is just as beautiful and magnificent to me when I’m hurting as he is when life feels perfect. 

Exploit your challenges.  When I looked up the word exploit I was greatly encouraged by the meaning. It means to “make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).”

In my weakness I’ve found that Jesus is stronger.  In my pain I’ve found comfort in the Lord.  In my struggle I’m reminded that heaven is going to be a place where I never have to experience this physical break down ever again.  In this challenge I’m reminded that I’ve walked through things so that I can turn around and really empathize with someone else.

Friends, are you facing hard things right now?  Ask yourself how you are going to use the painful things in your life.  Will you let them destroy you or will you get every last ounce of learning and benefit out of it as you look for the redemption?

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