Your life is similar to a flower.
Dirt piles on, burying you underneath.
One shovel toss after another heaps earth on top of you.
It’s dark, deep, cool, dry.
Momentarily, your lives differ…
For the flower bulb, dirt has necessary nutrients for growth, for life.
For you, the dirt consists of life’s circumstances, situations, temptations, and disappointments.
Initially, the dirt you feel doesn’t seem life-giving at all. In fact, it seems to drain the life right out of you.
In time, however, as the flower, you emerge.
Beautifully strong with radiating color…
Overcoming the dark…
Conquering the deep…
Warming the cool…
Quenching the dry…
How does it happen? How do you overcome, conquer, warm and quench?
You don’t. He does.
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. ~ Romans 8:37 (AMP)
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (ESV)
I dare say, He has. He has for me.
I was buried, emotional buried four years ago. An avalanche of sod was thrown on me, submerging me into uncertain deep.
Initially, I reacted by acting as though all was fine. I could handle the blow totally on my own.
A few months of “handling it” dropped me right into an emotional tailspin. My life was like a tea-cup ride ~ an out of control tea-cup ride.
I was depressed and anxious.
I was paranoid and suspicious.
I wasn’t me.
I submitted to the dark, deep, cool, dry space around me.
I was an encapsulated mess.
Through it all, He was faithful. He kept His promise and didn’t leave me nor did He turn His back on me. He lovingly whispered to me, gently corrected me and intentionally pointed me to two verses:
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) ~ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
and
Luke 23:34 (NLT) ~ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
With His empowerment, I began casting rather than burying, forgiving instead of harboring.
By His strength, I began pushing up through the earth above me.
Before long, I breathed fresh air and felt the sunshine on my face.
Stretching my arms toward heaven, I emerged.
I emerged stronger and with more resolve.
I emerged more confident in Him and myself.
I emerged grateful, relieved and determined.
I emerged better.
No, it’s your turn…
Have you had a similar experience?
Were you buried underneath life’s pressures, expectations and disappointments only to be delivered by Him? Are you blooming? Oh, please share! Allow us to relate and rejoice along with you.
Maybe you’re presently there? If you are, know there is HOPE! Please share what you feel comfortable sharing and allow us the opportunity to swoop in with encouragement. That’s what a community of believers is supposed to do.
Thought Provoking Thursday / Life:Unmasked / Proverbs 31 Thursday / Imperfect Prose
