Turning Pain into a Gift of Grace

So many friends going through losses right now, soul crushing losses(myself included).  Life is unfair like that.  Sin crept in and messed the world up and thousands of years later grace crashed in and gave us the power to overcome. Not that the world became perfect but that we are enpowered to use what the enemy meant to destroy us for our good and the good of others.

It is some kind of messy, beautiful, difficult journey we fragile humans walk through with hardships and friendships and with the grace of God upon us, within us and around us.  It can sometimes feel lonely even in a crowded room, it can feel overwhelming even when you know God is there, it can feel terrifying even when you know God is for you.  Our humanity is tested, flesh is poked and prodded until we simply surrender.   In the brokeness He sends those to extend mercy, minister hope and bring refreshing so that you can once again push through the pain.  It doesn't mean there is no weeping, no pain, but it does mean we know joy comes in the morning.  Not sure which morning, but eventually it comes.  The pain lessens, hope brightens, revelation comes and with it something new is born in and through each of us.

Our humanity becomes humility.  We allow for the breaking to bring beauty.  Each of us are born to birth the Kingdom into the world.  Birthing something is painful, transition is difficult, pushing is labourous but we don't do it for ourselves, we do it for what it brings into this dark world.  We do it for the light that will shine forth from the brokeness, not from a place of perfection but from the humility of a laid down life that is enveloped in grace even in the midst of the trauma of loss. We do it because what will be birthed is worth every bit of the pain.  

We do it imperfectly, we do it afraid, we do it broken, we soldier on wounded and battle scarred and that is the beauty.  That is the freedom.  That is the brave thing; to be honest in the midst of the disaster. To live in a place of truth is to live surrounded by the grace of God.  He loves authenticity.  He resides in the place of truth and establishes His freedom there.  There is no pressure to be anything but authentic.  Be real, sometimes life seems unbearable, pain continues on for far longer than we can maintain our composure, hope seems a distant untangible thought but don't give up, it is in those midnight hours that the Lord can finally push through His purposes.


In the authenticity, in the pain be sure you have invited the healer in, the grace upon grace to seep into your pain, to change it, redeem it by His power. When you stand in the pain of the fire may you glow with the grace of another, for He is with you.

Whatever pain has inpregnated your spirit, has crushed your soul, may you nourish it with the word of God, infill it with the redemptive power of God and may you birth it into the world not as pain but as a gift of grace.

May it reveal the Kingdom of Redemption.  May it offer to the world a picture of hope, a revelation of grace and a tangible delivery of redemption.

Love you my tribe, with every ounce of my broken being.

Debbie
P.S. #preaching to myself