Glory in Our SufferingsSample

Grace Towards Ourselves:

I found myself frustrated trying to heal 12 years of deep-rooted, complex trauma in 1 therapy session. It was unrealistic! My therapist reminded me that I needed to be patient and have grace toward myself. Healing is not an overnight process. You will have good days and bad days. If our mighty and heavenly father can extend that same grace to us, why can we not give it to ourselves, too? I am grateful that we don’t have to do it alone! When Jesus departed the earth after he rose from the grave, he sent a “helper” to us called the holy spirit. I surrendered fully to God and let the lord of my life have his way with me, no matter what it looked like or how I felt. God is worthy of our praise always. In my weakest moments, God reminded me that his grace was sufficient for me. In2 Corinthians 12: 8-10, Paul talks about this at great length! “Three times, I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, THEN I am strong.” This is so encouraging! Keep moving forward; we may be pressed on all sides, but we are not crushed!

God is for us and not against us. There is glory in our sufferings! It says it here, in Romans 5: 1-4, “Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope.”

Prayer for you: Dear Heavenly Father, I am grateful for the person on the other side of the screen who is reading this. Abba, thank you for giving them the courage to read this devotional and take steps into healing with you. Lord, you know exactly where they are, I pray that you meet them right there and let a fresh wind of heaven breathe upon them. We believe that your word is alive; remind us of what you spoke to us already when we need it the most. May their hearts and minds be transformed by you in the way you see best. On the bad days, may they stop being harsh with themselves and instead remind themselves to be graceful and patient. Please place the right people and resources they need to successfully move forward. I lift this up in your mighty name, amen.