Getting through your process…

The Holidays are just around the corner. It’s the time of year where we celebrate with our loved ones, friends and church family! It’s also a time for others where this season is not so festive for them. I can talk about that because for the last several years I’ve spent most of my time alone. My circumstances brought me to a place of solitude as I dealt with a costly and difficult divorce. It was not my choice but it was my journey. The ones I thought would be around during that time weren’t. I’ve lost friends, my church family and family members who no longer look for me or my children. The good news is that I’ve recovered well, I’ve pushed through the pain, the financial hardship that came with it, the regret (yes, I made quite a few mistakes) and loneliness.

I prayed to God to change my circumstances, but what I didn’t recognize was that God wanted to use my circumstances to change me. Yes, he has promised to deliver us from our troubles, but not necessarily when we want or think. He wants to do more for us than we know. Our trials have to be a time for God to develop us more into His likeness. In order for that to take place, God will allow us to go through our process!

To get to the Promised Land, Israel had to go through the Red Sea, the wilderness and Jordan River. Job had to lose all he had to get through and enjoy the greater blessings that God had in store for him because he endured. God doesn’t work in minutes, hours or days; He works in seasons! He know how long you could bare to stay in the fire so He could produce the gold in you! A potter knows how long to leave the clay on the wheel so it can become a thing of value and usefulness. I encourage you to trust God, endure and wait on Him. He knows what He’s doing. When you finally get through, you’ll look back and thank Him for the lessons learned!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. Isaiah 43:2