Have you ever felt like you’ve had a mid-life crisis your entire life? Do the blows of difficulty and pain seem unending? I’ve had a good life compared to most. Of course heartbreak and pain have been an ingredient, but also joy and laughter. However, as I near mid-life (still a few years off, don’t get excited), I seem to still be asking some of the same questions I did when I was 20. Recently, another opportunity to pick myself off the floor happened and as I’m getting much quicker at getting up (ironically in my old age), there is flood of thoughts that enter my mind from the baggage of past experiences.
However on my journey to be different than who I was and someone people are struck by my spirit that they want to find out why, I’m learning that in the moments of doubt, negative talk, being let down, and hurt God is whispering. He’s not whispering the typical motivational sayings, “Don’t give up!, You’ve got this, Be You”. All of those are great, but God knows our hearts and pierces it with just a word or two. He’s not the King of Motivational speeches, He’s the King of the World! Many times we need to get our heads to see things bigger than our current situations. Yes, God cares about those little things, but He is so much Bigger than them. You see he cares more about us being saved from the grips of sin than if I land another client. He understands the momentary things of this world are passing, but His love, Word, desire for relationship with us is way more important. In the words of my parents when I was learning to ride a bike, “Get back up, you’re doing fine!” They didn’t need to know every scrape I might have received after falling off my bike, they knew the bigger picture was learning to ride by bike.
Yes, I’d love God to save me from some of the struggles of this life, but the truth is that if he did, he would be less than! To be a survivor is to understand the bigger picture above us and that many times life is about trying again and again. Like the plant in this picture of burnt of trees after a wildfire, we are called to continue grow and keep stretching for Heaven. Sure, we can take some positive steps to protect ourselves, but I’m not sure that God would be involved in the self-protection/self-help movement because the Love he calls us to give is difficult, hard, and doesn’t always protect our personal interest. Just think about the times you’d like to scream at someone in your family for their behavior, but God quietly reminds us that Love is Patient. God’s love is not reckless, it is purposeful and offers meaning. His love tells us that he is bigger than our storms or wildfires and though hurt might come through those experiences as we walk through them, he is quietly whispering, “Keep Going! You’re Not Done! YOU ARE A SURVIVOR!”
Journey Creatively 