And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

I was spending some time with the Lord yesterday and when I came to this verse in 1 Peter, I knew it was part of God’s perfect timing.  Today is the second anniversary of the passing of my boyfriend of eleven years.  If you’ve been following me for a while you know that his death was the first of three that I would go through in a short seven month period. I would let his death define me for much longer than I’m proud of.  Losing him and the life I thought I would have with him would throw me completely off track physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Our story was almost an exact replica of my story with my husband who passed away seventeen years ago.  I struggled with the “Why again, Lord?” for a long time and again I would let it define me.  I would let it take away my hope and my motivation in all areas of my life. Even today as I tried to sleep away the day I realized I was doing it again and I had a choice.  

I could be the worse version of myself and continue to wallow in my sorrow or I could get up and become a better version of myself by chasing fully after the Lord’s purposes for me.

So I got up and got dressed and took my dog to the pet store to use the Self-wash service and bathe her.  Seems like a silly thing to do but it was something that I’ve been meaning to do all week and by taking that first step in doing it, I could physically feel my sorrow lessen.  We got in the car which at the moment is playing Anthony Evan’s new CD, Altared, on repeat which I highly recommend to everyone.  Worshipping the Lord always brings peace to my heart.  It changes my perspective.  It encourages me and strengthens me so getting in my car to take my dog for a bath wound up being the exact thing I needed to get me out of my funk today. 

I was also reminded this week in my Choose to Soar Ministries group of women that I needed to spend time praying for myself which is exactly what I spent yesterday doing.  Again an example of His perfect timing so I had a good long heart to heart cry with my Lord.  Crying it out to Him always makes me feel better and I will never understand why I ever put it off! I know that God is taking me through a process of getting unstuck from what’s been holding me captive.  This process has been going on for two years now but I can say I am farther along today than I was then.  

Anniversaries of lost loved ones are always hard.  I am thankful that the Lord spent time this week preparing me for today even though at the time I didn’t realize that’s exactly what He was doing.  If He hadn’t, I can’t say that I would have made the right choice today to get up and chase after Him instead of wallowing in my sorrow.  I probably wouldn’t be sitting here typing out this week’s post.  I would’ve once again let my sorrow define me and used it as an excuse to not do what God has called me to do and right now that is writing this weekly blog.  

The enemy is very real and will use whatever he can to distract us from our purpose. He wanted me to wallow all day today and be mad at God all over again.  He wanted me to stay filled with anxiety and overwhelming sadness because the longer I stay in that state of mind, the longer he has me where he wants me, far away from God and His purpose for my life. He doesn’t want me to do anything that furthers the kingdom of God.

I had a choice to make today friends!  

I could truly believe that my hope was anchored in the unchanging promises of God or I could anchor my hope in relationships and circumstances which change daily.  I could fully chase after the Lord’s purpose for my life or allow myself to be distracted and influenced by the enemy.

I know when we are suffering, it can feel like a very long time. In fact, it can feel like forever but you have to look at it with an eternal perspective.  Compared to the glory we will experience in eternity, our hardships here on Earth are indeed only for a little while.  I Peter 5:10 reminds us that strength will come from our suffering.  James 1:2-3 reminds that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness. Being shaken by suffering makes our faith more unshakeable. 

Sometimes the Lord takes us through suffering which He hates in order to accomplish something He loves.  I am sure that He hated seeing me suffer through all those losses but I know He loves how it has been used for good to help others.

Whatever you are suffering from today, you are not alone. The Lord is there with you in the midst of it all.  Know that this process isn’t some cruel way to keep you from His promises but it is the exact preparation you need to handle those promises.  It is meant to help you grow deeper in the confidence that He is all you need!  He has given you His word to guide you, the Holy Spirit to enable you, and the privilege to come to Him anytime to pray about anything!

What happens “after you have suffered a little while” is really up to you. You can choose to wallow in your sorrow or you can become a better version of yourself and fully chase after His purposes for you.  The choice is up to you.  Which will you choose?

Read Hope Does Not Disappoint for more encouragement on anchoring your hope in Him!