How To Move Through Suffering And Come Back StrongerSample

Donna Gibbs:  How to Move Through Suffering and Come Back Stronger Devotional Day 7

Come to Me

Scripture: Matthew 11:28

Jesus’s call to rest in Matthew 11:28 is one of my favorite Bible verses. If you have faced an uninvited tragedy, disappointment, diagnosis, or loss, then you have been burdened. You are tired. You might be downright exhausted. “Come to me” are the sincere words of a gentle Savior, inviting you to seek safety and rest in Him. Your weariness qualifies you for this invitation. He desires that you acknowledge whatever it is that oppresses you. And in return, He offers rest and peace and relief.

I call this the Great Exchange. Meditate on this Scripture passage. Close your eyes and imagine the scene. Jesus is standing with arms open wide. He is pursuing you. He invites you to express your burden. And then to lay it down at his feet. Imagine Jesus taking your burden and handing it to the Father, then returning to you as His arms become a bed of rest for your exhausted soul. He knows your struggle, and He offers help and hope for the pains that are crippling you. Acknowledge your pain to Him. Respond to His invitation. This step frees you to begin the work of building resilience and prevents you from being stuck in your suffering. 

Your hurts do not have to define you or dictate your future. Maybe your hurt occurred years ago, but you’ve lived with the residual effects for much of your life. You don’t have to wait for eternity to find healing. Restoration can begin today, starting now. When you are stuck in your suffering, you cannot move beyond survival mode. You don’t have the chance to fully live your life. But it is time now to live! To thrive! To heal! It is time to take your life back. God desires for you to bounce back from the hurt that has been robbing you and shrinking your world. Indeed, He has good plans for you. He desires to use your suffering to create something amazing. To benefit you. To propel you to even greater heights. Because He loves you, he wants to strengthen your resilience. He desires to use your hurt to create something beautiful in you.

Do you ever feel that your suffering defines you? What would it look like to receive God’s healing? How might your pain lead to something beautiful in you?