love – Page 29 – The Will to Wake Up

Saying the “Right” Thing

Have you been turned away from faith by a person’s words? Or worse, have you said the wrong thing and now regret it? Here’s some advice and encouragement!

I was saddened yesterday by a post a peer shared about the reason she despises all religions, specifically Christianity. She explained that her family “forced it” on her growing up and that a pastor’s weak condolence of “it’s all part of God’s plan” at her grandmother’s funeral was the final nail in the coffin in her rejection of God.

What makes me truly disheartened by this story is the truth that we, as believers, often say things like “it’s all part of God’s plan”. We usually say things like this when things are going well for us, and we want to cheer someone up. Or if we’ve had God reveal this to us through our own experiences. But we have to be careful not to make a few key mistakes when encouraging others in their faith.

What expectations are you holding for unbelievers?

A mentor wisely told me, “We have to be careful to not hold unbelievers to the same expectations we hold believers. After all, they don’t necessary know or care about what the Bible says, so why should we expect them to obey God’s commands?”

This is so true. While we shouldn’t condone sin, we have to realize that until they build a relationship with God, they aren’t going to understand the significance of repentance and God’s forgiveness. Holding them accountable will come in time, but first we must help them realize why they should even desire a relationship with God.

2. Are our words appropriate for the situation?

The pastor’s words to my peer weren’t lies. God does have a plan for everything. However, saying that off-handedly during a funeral may not be the best time. When others experience a significant loss, we shouldn’t force them to move on too quickly. We need to show them God’s comfort and love. Jesus, while on Earth, cried when He saw others suffering. In fact, He holds everyone’s tears in His hands even now. Being present with someone during their time of grief is more meaningful than spewing Bible verses at them. If the Spirit leads you to say something, then say it. But God can work even through our silent moments.

3. Do you have authority over what you are talking about?

My mom once described an old friend as “a person who likes to hear herself talk”. In fact, when making conversation with others, asking them lots of questions is a good start because people enjoy talking about themselves. This can all be fine and good, but when it comes down to witnessing to others, this can often be a shortcoming.

A lot of times we want to share a random tidbit of information we read online, even when we don’t have all the facts. Or we want to answer others’ questions even when we have no authority over the subject. When you are telling someone about Jesus, don’t start creating your own theology or make up answers to their questions. Instead, share personal stories of how Jesus has changed your life.

The best thing to do to be prepared for opportunities to share your faith is reading the Bible. That way you will have authority over what you’re speaking about. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead your discussions. God can give you wisdom right when you need it most.

Anyone who loves Jesus and desires to do His will can be a good witness for Him. Just make sure you’re sharing information that you know will actually benefit and encourage others.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Romans 8:26

My peer’s grandma died of pancreatic cancer, which was the same disease that killed my church’s pastor. However, throughout my pastor’s journey, He grew closer to God and inspired others to keep holding onto faith.

While writing a condolence card for my pastor’s son, I considered sounding full of faith by saying, “God knows what’s best” and “Everything happens for a reason”. But instead, I wrote, “I honestly don’t know why this has happened to your family. But I do know that God has wonderful plans in store for your future.”

By admitting this, I didn’t deny God’s greater plan or the pain of his loss. But I didn’t pretend like I had all the answers, because I don’t. When we are vulnerable and honest, we are not lacking faith, we are becoming more relatable to those curious about God. Perhaps I could’ve said something different, something better. But I’m going to choose to believe that I said the best that I could because I prayed about each word I wrote. We often don’t say “the perfect thing”, but if we truly believe we did what God called us to, we don’t have to have regrets.

We may never fully understand God’s plan while on Earth. God wants us to fully grieve and appreciate those we have lost. There are two things that give me hope during seasons of grief:

God is right beside us. He knows and understands everything we’re feeling. His love isn’t dependent on how we behave or our circumstances.
Our sense of time is so different from God’s. A lifetime down here may be a blink of an eye up in Heaven. Though it’s hard to move forward after a loss, eventually we will be reunited again, this time for eternity.

Now that’s something to look forward to.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 29:11-14

God Uses Every Version of You

Do you feel embarrassed about the past? Here’s some encouragement!

Do you ever look back and immediately cringe? Usually it’s not just for the outdated trends or gastly hairstyles, but for the person we used to be, so unknowing and just plain embarrassing! But our memory does change over time, and we don’t always see ourselves as the people we truly were at the time. God will use us no matter what stage of life we’re in. Just think about the people who have touched your life. They hadn’t reached “perfection” when they helped you, yet they were impactful.

I was reminded of how God moves through us, even at young ages, while reading an old journal entry last night. Back in 2019, God had given me “instinctual sympathy” for a girl at my barn who I didn’t know very well. In my journal entry from that summer, I wrote that I felt I needed to pray for her because I might be one of the only ones who was. I even off-handedly remarked that perhaps God would use me in her life someday. I had no clear reason why I felt the way I did or how true my words would be.

Fast-forward two years. I started getting to know her better and understanding what was happening in her life. She didn’t have a clear relationship with God, but I could tell she was struggling. God has given me so many opportunities to be there for her in ways I never imagined in 2019. I got chills just reading how God was preparing me to be a friend to her back in the years were I felt “ill-equipped” and “unusable”.

How often do we let age or status or other people’s opinions of us define how much impact God can have on our lives, or even how we’re able to affect others? Has that held you back from reaching out and being there for someone you know needs a friend? What if that mindset is keeping us from being the reason someone smiles or has hope for the future or even starts a relationship with God?

You have the potential to change people’s lives. We were created to positively change lives, to change the world. God is ready to grow you into an extraordinary person. The only thing holding you back is not believing you’re worth it.

Well, guess what. You are so worth it.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13

The Reason for Life

Do you ever wonder why you’re here? Here’s some encouragement.

Spending time with horses has taught me about overcoming fear, trusting others, and building relationships. But one of the greatest takeaways from spending time at the barn is an expression my instructor uses frequently: Where you look is where you’ll go.

In the horse world (and driving world, I’ve learned), this literally means that where your eyes are, that’s where you’ll end up. Horses can sense what you’re focused on and how you’re feeling, which is partially why this happens. But the main reason is that when we are focused on something, the rest of our body follows suite to get us there. We often don’t notice these subtle changes, like turning our hands or shifting our weight to one side. But our horses notice, and eventually if we’re focused on the wrong thing, we’ll notice too.

Part of my job with working with riders is taking the beginner riders on the longe line, which is this long rope that goes from the horse’s head to me. If the horse is too close to me, then he won’t go, but if he’s too far away, then I am no longer in control. This can be an issue since kids on the longe line are practicing riding without reins to get muscle control and build their core, as well as their courage. They rely on me to keep them safe, yet they have to do their part too by keeping their horse at the right distance away.

Occasionally, (okay, often), a young rider gets distracted by the other, more advanced riders out in the arena. They are looking at them instead of looking ahead in the direction they need to go. That allows the horse to take the opportunity to go where he isn’t supposed to, often ending up in a frustrating situation for all of us.

If you’re not a horse-person and you’ve stuck with me this far, great job! I promise this leads somewhere. You see, I’ve come to learn that “where you look is where you go” applies to life too. I mean, sometimes we wish this literally was the case, since then we wouldn’t have to walk anywhere, we could just appear there. But when it comes to goals, if we get distracted, we will never get to where we want to go.

More importantly, when we don’t focus on Jesus, our lives go off-course. I’ve talked about focusing on Jesus countless times, because that’s the only way to have a fulfilling life. When Jesus gets taken out of the picture, the reason behind our existence disappears too.

My friend and I were discussing the meaning of life a couple months ago. (A light topic, I know) When I really get into a conversation, I say whatever comes to me without thinking through it, which can sometimes be a good thing, actually. I told her that if we didn’t have a purpose in life (aka living for Jesus, fulfilling His will) then we wouldn’t want to life. She gave me a startled look and clarified, “So if I didn’t know my purpose, I would just want to die?”

I thought for a moment. Was that really what I meant?

Maybe it actually was.

You see, whether you realize it or not, we spend our entire lives searching for our purpose. When we finally figure things out, we realize that “knowing our purpose” isn’t having some step-by-step formula of how we want life to go. It doesn’t have to be knowing our career path or who we’ll end up with. It just means realizing our purpose is found in relationship with Jesus. Apart from that, we live empty, shallow lives.

So if you’re freaking out because you don’t have answers, don’t be scared. No one has all the answers. We may never have all the answers on this side of Heaven. But as long as you are relentlessly pursuing Jesus, you will find your purpose, I can promise you that.

You are here for a reason. You are loved.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Colossians 3:2-4

Is Being Popular a Sin?

The media often picks on celebrities in the hopes of making it sound like fame has gone to their heads and they have abandoned their faith. But is it a sin to be popular?

Whenever a pastor or Christian celebrity becomes well-known, people often doubt them. People poke and prod them until some sort of dark secret is revealed. If no traces of a sketchy past are found, then people assume their motives are bad. Maybe they’re in it for the fame or money. They certainly couldn’t be doing this because God called them to! This leads to the question, is being popular a sin?

When I was 15, I certainly wanted it to be a sin. All those popular people seemed to have everything, yet they excluded others, or at least me. It’s easy to take our past hurts, even when those hurts were caused by simply unaware people, and misconstrue scripture in a way that makes those characteristics a sin.

Many like to argue these two verses in favor of fame being a sin:

“You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4)

Now, just to clear things up, I do not believe fame or popularity is a sin. For one thing, what’s the exact definition of popularity anyway? To me, someone with twenty friends is popular, while to another, a person with one hundred friends is popular, and so on. I think we can all agree on some people being famous, such as Francis Chan, Franklin Graham, and Amy Grant. And for another, we can’t allow our jealousy of another’s success cause us to doubt their intentions or validity. Certainly we must use discernment, but not in a way that condemns others.

The way to know whether or not a person is using their status in a godly way is to see what they’re doing with it. Are they letting fame get to their head? Are they denying the Bible in any way? Are they doing things that Jesus wouldn’t have done?

Those are good questions to not ask just of well-known people, but of ourselves too. Are we letting other people’s opinions of us shape us more than God’s word? Are we falling into temptation? Are we speaking truth and love?

Anyone (not just celebrities) can allow the world to change them for the worst. Being a friend of the world doesn’t mean being admired or appreciated. It means being disloyal to Jesus. No matter your life’s path, we will all be held accountable for what we did when the time comes. The most important thing to do is allow God to work through any opportunity He gives you. If you are privileged enough to influence a large number of people, then be a positive influence. If you are only seeing family right now, then focus your energy on being a loving family member. God works through each and every one of us individually. He can work through any situation.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2

The Gift of Grace

What makes grace so profound?

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the idea of grace ever since reading a Philip Yancy book on the topic. He said that grace is the one defining characteristic of a follower of Christ. Unbelievers can be kind, selfless, and loving. However, only those who truly understand the grace God gives us each day, by even allowing us to take a single breath of air, can also extend that grace.

I know so many Christians who are doing incredibly unchristian things. I’m not talking about the “hot topic” sins. I’m talking about saying hurtful things, joining in with the rest of the world in condemning others, and participating in this mass spread of unkindness. They say that we have to hold people accountable for their actions, which is true, but we need to do it in the right way. There needs to be room for grace. There needs to be room for understanding, because so often we are too quick to judge. We assume everyone who’s different from us has evil motivations. We don’t like to admit it, but it’s true.

The thing about grace is that it doesn’t make sense. I’ll be bold enough to say that it isn’t supposed to make sense, at least on this side of Heaven. Grace isn’t naïve or dismissive. Grace is acknowledging the wrong, the hurt, but still showing compassion and love. Grace isn’t injustice, but rather transformative forgiveness that leads to deeper healing.

Here’s the tough thing about grace: it goes against our human nature. It goes against what the world tells us. Grace is loving your enemy, whether your enemy takes the form of your annoying next door neighbor, a hurtful relative, or a person with an opposing political view. Grace isn’t agreeing with their actions or misbeliefs; grace is seeing the person inside them. We need to show ourselves grace too, whether that’s when we look in the mirror, receive a critical remark, or make the same mistake again.

Grace takes humility. In order to show grace, we can’t have an attitude of self-righteousness. We have to admit that we’re wrong sometimes too. We have to realize that we have also been shown grace, the greatest grace that has existed, the grace of God. We are only here because of His grace.

Every time I’m tempted to post something that I know might offend or hurt someone’s feelings, I think about my purpose. God didn’t put me here to crack a joke at someone else’s expense. God didn’t put me here to mock others. God didn’t put me here to be the opposite of Jesus. Jesus embodies grace, compassion, and faithfulness. As followers of Christ, our purpose and mission should be embodying everything Jesus embodied.

But the best part about grace is that it lets go of the past. Jesus always sees you as His perfect creation. He doesn’t see all the messy things that we like to point out in others or even in ourselves. And if Jesus can love us perfectly like that, Him being the most powerful being ever, then can’t we extend just a fraction of that grace to others?

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 2:8

And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:14

The Power of Vulnerability

Do you view being vulnerable as a strength or weakness?

In 2003, a young boy and his family experienced a life-altering event that would impact many lives around the world. Colton, the child, had an emergency surgery that doctors were amazed he survived through. While in surgery, he temporarily died and was able to be in Heaven. During the time when the doctors weren’t sure if he’d make it, Colton’s father, a pastor, poured his heart out to Jesus to save His son. He wept and he screamed and he demanded that life be restored.

In an interview with Colton and his dad, they were asked why Colton wanted to come back to Earth after having such a wonderful experience with Jesus in Heaven. Colton responded, “I knew that I was leaving Heaven because Jesus came to me and said, ‘Colton, you need to go back’…He said he was answering my dad’s prayer.” That prayer happened to be the outburst made when all hope was lost. When choice words were used, when hurt was exposed, when life seemed bleakest.

I so often wonder what we lose when we don’t expose our full selves to God. Obviously He knows every part of us, but He honors it when we trust Him enough to bring those parts to Him by our own will. Yet it’s so tempting to believe that because Jesus is our Lord and Savior, the all-knowing, perfect One, we must only bring the best parts of us to Him.

Yesterday, I was privileged enough to hear the testimony of a new pastor at our church. Despite having only been with us for three months and not evening knowing us in-person yet, she shared many trials and tragedies from her spiritual journey. She was open, vulnerable, and relatable. That was the beauty of her story. Not the wonderful articulation of it or even finding the perfect Bible passage to close, though those were also true. No, it was when she created a space of both healing and grief, of brokenness and restoration.

How often do we miss out on the opportunity of being a better leader or friend or family member because we feel the need to put on an act. Vulnerability is associated with being weak, but being vulnerable is actually a great strength. It requires conquering the fear of judgement first. We often believe we must “have it all together” in order to be accepted, right? Maybe, maybe not.

What if we enter all our relationships with a sense of vulnerability? Not naivety, not blind trust, but rather relatability? The willingness to allow the broken part of our lives inspire and touch others?

Interestingly, the reason I joined this meeting was because of the title, “New Beginnings”. This phrase has popped up in my life time and again over the last six months or so, a sign from God, I believe. I’ve often associated this phrase with the idea of starting with a clean slate, leaving behind the past.

But yesterday I was presented with a new idea. New beginnings doesn’t mean moving past the hurt before we’re ready. It means allowing God to restore and redeem the past, pondering our experiences in a new way.

The best way to accept God’s transformation in our lives is giving the all of ourselves to Him. The broken, the shattered, the weary. The hopeful, the curious, the eager. Everything.

I’m going to close with Psalm 103, which was read during my meeting yesterday. The pastor shared how this psalm means so much to her as it was shared by a friend fighting cancer. It reminds us all of God’s never ending love for us.

1 Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. 19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul.
Psalm 103

Source of introduction story: Historyvshollywood.com

This Year’s Lesson

Today I’ll be sharing what God’s taught me this past year!

As my birthday approaches, I’ve been thinking about what God’s been teaching me over the past year. Just choosing one thing to write about is hard! I mean, there’s learning how to listen to Him, how to relinquish control, how to trust Him…

He’s shown me how to grow even in places I never expected to be in. He’s taught me the power of our words. He’s shown me that He’s the only one who can satisfy me.

But the most important thing I’ve learned is that God works in mysterious ways. So many times, things don’t go according to my plan. I wanted this or I wanted that, and when it didn’t happen, I assumed God stopped caring about me. I lost hope. I chose to not see the good in the situation.

If I’m going to be real with you, the past two birthdays, I longed to be in a romantic relationship. After a series of events, I thought that was God’s plan. Or maybe I just wanted it to be?

But this year, God’s shown me that’s not what I need right now. And it’s taken me a year to accept that, to be joyful about that. And I am content about that. Right now, He’s building my relationship with Him so that it’s a solid foundation before I move on to the next season of life.

Growth doesn’t always present itself in the traditional ways. For me, being able to write that past paragraph is a growth step. The biggest goal we can have for each year is that we’re in a better place now than where we were the following year. It doesn’t have to be a place super far away. Just enough to know that we’re still moving forward.

Through my previous example, along with riding a horse I wouldn’t have naturally chosen, being distanced from people I care about, and having school online, have all been things that I didn’t expect or even want. But God has worked through those things to show me that I can still have joy no matter what situation He puts me in. I’m going to have to constantly remind myself of this, but now I know the truth.

God also surprises us in wonderful ways too. He’s given me a new, better job. He’s shown me how to appreciate the people around me. He’s blessed me with an outrageously hilarious puppy. If you think hard enough, I bet you’ll think of some ways God has unexpectedly blessed you too.

You’re not a failure for not being in the place you wished you were in. You’re not a failure for your plans not working out. God’s plans are ultimately so much greater than anything we can imagine. So take heart, because Jesus has overcome the world.

This year, I look forward to growing alongside you. I already have many new posts planned! But I’m also ready to live in the moment and not worry about what’s next because it’s all in God’s hands.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

Something a Little Different

Today’s Encouragement Thursday is a podcast episode! I hope you enjoy it!

Hey everyone! I have some *super exciting* news for you! I created a podcast a couple months ago, also called The Will to Wake Up. Today’s Encouragement Thursday post is a podcast episode called The Secret to Life. I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think!

Episode link: https://anchor.fm/hannah-chung4/episodes/The-Secret-to-Life-evfm07

Podcast link: https://anchor.fm/hannah-chung4

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words
Romans 8:26

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Does the past cling onto you? Do old memories resurface in your mind far too often? Here is some encouragement.

Are you ever going about your day, things are going alright, and then suddenly it hits you– a memory from the past. This memory, whether pleasant or embarrassing or painful, persistently pushes its way into your mind until you feel obligated to think about it. After a few minutes, you’ve stopped everything just to ruminate on the past. You start feeling discontent, uncomfortable, and perhaps even angry. Maybe something is haunting you or you miss the safety of the “known”.

Believe it or not, the Bible doesn’t kid around when it comes to warning us about getting “stuck in the past”. Take Lot’s wife. Her family was saved by God (with a little help from Abraham) from a terrible city just before its destruction. Yet she still looked back, and then poof, she became a pillar of salt!

I’ve often wondered why she was tempted to look back on such a horrible time in her life. Though don’t we often fixate on those moments we wish we could change? That one mistake that led us here. Or perhaps there’s a sense of safety, even in a painful past, that the unknown future doesn’t give us?

Yet I believe with my whole heart that looking back can destroy us. I don’t take this issue lightly, and it’s because I’ve been “destroyed” in this way. No, I haven’t become a pillar of salt, but I have missed out on enjoying the present by focusing on the past. I’ve also lost self-confidence, self-respect, and gratitude to God during these darker moments of my life.

Sometimes it seems harmless to allow those memories to fill our minds. But they tend to take over, an unwelcome guest, staying “rent free” in our heads. I’ll give you a recent example from my life, and perhaps you can think of your own.

A little less than a year ago, a relationship I had poured myself into began dwindling away. I deeply grieved this loss and spent much of the summer and fall wondering what I had done wrong. But over time, I was able to move past it and allow myself to let go. However, every so often, a memory will pop into my mind. Usually it’s an embarrassing one, and I start criticizing myself all over again.

Now, this isn’t constructive in the least bit. I’m just hurting myself all over again when there’s nothing more I can do to “make things right”. And I’ll bet these “mistakes” I made in conversations weren’t what caused our relationship to take a different turn than what I had hoped for. We like to blame the wrong things when life changes naturally, don’t we?

But you know what the saddest thing about this situation is? I’ve let these intrusive thoughts separate me from God. I’ve taken more time to relive a bad memory and secretly wish to be back there to reverse things than thank God for all He’s currently doing in my life. By going back to that unhealthy place, I’m not giving myself the respect that I deserve either. And you know what? It’s been proven that our memory changes with time. Who knows if what we remember is even the truth?

Just for the record, I’m not saying looking back on the past is a bad thing. And we shouldn’t sugarcoat the bad things that have happened in our lives just to please others or because we think we have to. But we also shouldn’t allow the past to control the present. In fact, it shouldn’t even be the biggest influencer in our present. God needs to be. Listening to the Holy Spirit needs to be. Noticing what makes you and those around you joyful needs to be.

There are so many things we can learn from the past. I mean, that’s why we have history class at school, right? But the bottom line is this: You will never miss out on what’s meant for you. When we focus on the past, we forget that vital truth. We stop trusting God and put our hopes and dreams into something that isn’t relevant anymore. And when we put our trust in God instead, we will begin to see the changes we were hoping for.

Next time you find yourself reminiscing, think about how God is using your past to help shape you for the future. Allow yourself to focus on what God is doing in the here and now. Remembering how God has proven Himself to you can encourage you. But so can paying attention to all the things God does on a daily basis! I hope and pray you are able to slowly let go and move onto the path God has laid out for you.

And that path, my friend, only leads forward.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19

(Normally I just end with Bible verses, but I found a few inspirational quotes that are encouraging too!)

Keep planting and sowing, living and knowing: beautiful things take time, and that is okay.
Morgan Harper Nichols

You are allowed to let go of all those that do not set you free anymore.
Dhiman

Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.
Elisabeth Elliot

“Skimming” Through the Hard Parts

Is it easy or difficult for you to confront your painful feelings? Here is some encouragement.

Growing up, I was always a fast reader. I’d love rereading my favorite stories, and one of the benefits of knowing the plot ahead of time was skipping or skimming through the parts I didn’t like. Those parts generally included descriptions of bodily harm, embarrassing moments (second-hand embarrassment is real!), and generally any time a character I liked got hurt.

It appears my method of “skimming through the hard parts” has stuck with me through the years. I’ve been journaling for several years now, during a time when I’ve changed a lot, and looking back at old entries makes me cringe! I used to enjoy going through old journals, but now I avoid it because I’d rather just ignore the embarrassing (or even painful) memories.

I’ve shared this before, but I’m not one who easily shares her feelings. I don’t like to admit something has hurt me. Perhaps I subconsciously think that admitting weakness makes me a weak person.

A wise mentor once told me that “the moment we admit something made us afraid, fear loses its power over us”. That will forever be one of my favorite quotes, and to think I heard it in person! Today my pastor tweaked this idea a little bit in a way that may help us both be willing to admit our wounds.

During my Easter series, one of the posts was focused on Thomas and how we can relate to him. Jesus welcomes our questions and our doubts; they aren’t signs of unbelief. Believe it or not, Jesus can handle whatever question we throw at Him!

In the service this morning, the pastor shared how Thomas was able to touch Jesus’ wounds for himself. They must have been healed in some way, right? Thomas wouldn’t have needed to even ask the question of where Jesus’ wounds were if Jesus had blood gushing out of His palms. But yet, there was still enough of a mark to show everyone that He was truly Jesus. And perhaps those wounds never went away until Jesus ascended into Heaven.

But did Jesus hide His wounds, these symbols of the pain and torture He endured? No, he opened conversation about them. He used them as ways to bring others into belief.

What kinds of wounds have you been carrying around with you? Perhaps it’s a painful loss, an abusive relationship, a childhood trauma. Or maybe it’s being rejected, not being seen, or feeling betrayed. Whatever you have been hiding, allow yourself to fully grieve.

You can only heal when you admit your pain and your loss. You can only heal when you allow yourself to feel what you’ve been avoiding, or “skimming”. You see, we can’t skip over the hard parts in life. We can’t speed up the grieving or healing process.

And in those moments of grief, if we turn to God, we can find belief. We can find answers. We can find unexplainable peace.

These wounds are always going to be a part of your story, but they don’t always have to be a painful part. They can lead others to Christ or bring you closer to God.

Today, ask yourself, “What am I running from? What about grief or loss makes me avoid it?” Allow God’s comfort to fill your heart.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13