Are You Ready for What's Next?নমুনা

Rock Bottom

When we feel like we’ve hit rock bottom, God is our rock at the bottom. He is our firm foundation. He’s the rock under our feet, giving us the strength to stand. What has caused this season of transition for you? Were you blindsided by a breakup? Did your employer unexpectedly lay you off? Maybe you’re moving forward in life after grieving a lost one. Truthfully speaking, we’re humans who experience a variety of feelings and emotions that are triggered by our circumstances. Having your heart broken hurts. Grieving tears of a loved one, seem like they will never end. Without invalidating our feelings, we must remember that the God we serve is a good and faithful Father who equips us to pick up our broken pieces.

Start by turning to God with all of your heart. Allow yourself to be transparent and vulnerable with him with all of your feelings, emotions, questions, and your needs. He loves to hear from His children. Make yourself available to Him. When you break a bone, you don’t wait until your body is healed to go to the doctor; our immediate response is to go to the doctor. We trust the doctor to use whatever appropriate procedure to heal us. Bring your broken pieces to the healer, so that He can do what only He can do.

It is time to examine your heart and identify any areas where you are looking for someone to blame. Instead of playing the blame game, show God that you trust him by praying a simple prayer:

“God, what is it that you’re doing through me? What is it that you want me to see? God open my eyes so that I see like you.”

The reality is that God is always working in us and through us. In Acts 17:27 NIV, the scripture reads,

“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

Choose God

In 2020, I hit rock bottom. In the middle of the pandemic I lost my family, I had to sell my house, I lost most of my friends, and I had to learn how to live my life without people I loved. Everything I grew up knowing, had become unknown to me. I was at rock bottom. But, through the grace of God, I decided to go through this season of life with Him. As I was grappling with the idea of selling my house, I remember sitting at my kitchen counter and God saying, “You can either go through this unknown season with me or you can continue trying to do it on your own”. I chose to walk through this season of transition and the unknown path, with God. God’s voice broke me and comforted me at the same time. It was the voice of a Father who knew what His son needed, him. I was tired of running from God and feeling alone. I wanted to have His way in my life. God knew I was tired of trying to figure out everything on my own. Every time I leaned on my own strength to try and figure things out, I fell short. I finally stopped blaming God and took ownership of my circumstances and the consequences of my actions. In this season it’s important to know that your anger towards God for what he is doing, is a reflection of your spiritual immaturity. God does not punish us, He corrects us because He loves us.

Whether this season is a season of unfortunate circumstances or a consequence of your actions, I believe that God is trying to teach you something.

In the book of Romans 5:3-5, the scripture reads:

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

It’s common that our initial response to feeling like we’re at rock bottom is to ask God why he is doing this to us. Using our hearts to genuinely question God is not inappropriate, but if we stop at that question, we will miss an opportunity to become spiritually mature. In the season, let us open our hearts to God. Prepare yourself to hear from God, even if it isn’t what you want to hear. In the season, you’re going to make a choice to either follow God and fully submit to him or you’ll make the choice to try to figure it out on your own.

Action step

When you feel like you’re at rock bottom, it’s time to seek God. The Bible says, if we seek God, we will find Him. Seeking Him needs to be intentional, not passive. The first step is to ask God for strength. You might be knocked down right now, and that’s okay because you might not be ready to get up on your own power. We can’t do it on our own anymore and it’s not in our best interests to keep trying to. Right where you are, get on your knees and surrender whatever is next, to God. Open your heart to God and give yourself grace because of the feelings you’ve experienced during this season. I’m reminding you that God is right there with you. God sent His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins. The same spirit that raised Him from the dead is the same spirit that lives inside of you. May God give you the strength to put one foot behind the other so that this season of your life will be the cornerstone of the home in Christ you’re building. Because you do not know what is next, it is going to feel uncomfortable. Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable, you are not alone.

Prayer For Today

Father, I thank you for your consistency and for joining your child today. Lord, I pray for your mercy and grace throughout this season of my life. I pray for endurance and strength to take one more step forward each day. Lord, I seek You for all the answers. I trust you with my questions and the answers. Lord, I thank you for always showing up for your children and answering my prayers on time. Thank you for reminding me that you are right there with me to pick up every broken piece. I love you and I thank you for loving me. In your name, I pray, Amen.