God Is Writing Your StorySample

Hidden Beauty

One day on vacation at the beach, it stormed for most of the day. I was disappointed because I wanted to see the sunset on the beach. I had given up hope that there would even be one at all, which sounds a little dramatic. But I was really looking forward to ending my day with a beautiful sunset over the ocean. However, towards the end of the evening, I caught a glimpse of the sun beaming through the clouds, so I rushed to the beach. When I arrived, the clouds were filled with vibrant colors, and the water reflected the magnificent masterpiece in the sky. Walking in the cool water, I realized I didn’t think such a gorgeous painting of God’s creation could have come after a long, dreary, stormy day. Likewise, sometimes, we get caught up in a storm and think there is no possibility for beauty to come. We begin to doubt how God can redeem our story, or we lose hope in our situation, but I want to encourage you: there is beauty after the storm. Don’t lose hope, just wait for the beauty to unravel. God will redeem your pain. He will restore what has been lost.

Through the storms we face, our crying out to God is a bold statement of saying, “God, I trust you.” When we trust, we are releasing control, which can be very difficult because we don’t see an end or understand how. However, we don’t need a roadmap of how and when; we need a roadmap to a personal relationship leading us to our Savior: our hope. We are planting truth in our souls by saying, “God, I trust you.” We are saying that we don’t have to have all the answers; we are laying down our lives in the hands of our Savior. In my case, as my health continues to decline and no one can help us or bring relief to my symptoms, we need to trust that God’s timing will be revealed in every step, every gut-wrenching update, and every tear. It is part of us trusting Him. He knows every step that I will take. He already sees every doctor visit, every treatment, the day of my healing, and all the suffering and joy in between. I don’t know what my future holds, but I do know that God holds my future. I may not know what will happen in my life, but God does. Trust is my antidote to the fear or doubt that may arise in my mind when my circumstances overwhelm me.

So when your world is shaken, remain embedded in the hope of Christ. The winds can blow, but they can’t take you out because you are rooted in the Lord. The pain of hurt can sting, but it can’t consume you. There are things in life that hurt, and there is no way around it, but there is a Healer who will wrap you up in His arms of comfort when you feel broken beyond repair.