I am sure we can all think of a situation in our past when we thought we would not get through, we couldn’t see a way out or the light that we thought was at the end of the tunnel appeared to be dimming swiftly. I can think of many a time where I just wanted to curl up in a corner, close my eyes and just cry. We have all had those times, but I have always found comfort when I have turned to God. His word tells us that we must lay our burdens down - everything not just a few!... and that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength....and many more scriptures that we have to dive into on a daily basis.
With each situation there are lessons to be learnt about ourselves and those around us and indeed the circumstances themselves, perhaps the change comes when we respond to the situation in a different way. As we reflect and keep stepping out in faith we gain strength through God's word. We have to keep believing that a way will be made and we have to do our part, It might not be exactly the outcome we wanted or done in the way that we expected but we make it through. The situation becomes another thing we can look back on, forming the basis of our strength where we can say with confidence, only by the grace of God are we still standing....refined by the fire, and indeed we will stand!
We don’t always have to look at the hardships we faced, which can be many, we can also look at those things which bring blessings. As I look at my journey as a mixed media artist I know that If I hadn’t persevered, experimented, stayed up late and stretch myself I wouldn’t have found out about the many materials that I love to use, or be inspired by so many talent artists online, or that my mother who has dementia enjoys being creative, or even be sharing what I do with others. But we don’t suddenly arrive, life is constantly changing and for me the lessons learnt are to enable us to cope with the challenges that will occur in our lives.
As you come to the end of the week, remember the many experiences you have gone through and what they taught you, how you have come out the other end with a strength and purpose. Write in your journal or do art journal page on something that you have needed endurance to get through and see what nuggets of truth you learnt about yourself as you look back.
Some scriptures to meditate on...
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope... Romans 15:4
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