Right out of high school, I got a job working for an airline at the airport. It was my first real job, so I went in with lots of energy and excitement. But those first few years literally punched me in the gut. I was at the bottom of the seniority list, so if there was extra work or someone called in sick, I was required to take the shift.
Sometimes, I'd work a 16-hour day and leave about 10 p.m., and as I was walking out the door, I'd be told I needed to be back for a 6 a.m. shift. Those first few years, I felt like I was being beaten down and broken to pieces. Now, ultimately, I'm grateful I stuck it out not only because the job got really good later on but also because those first few years really taught me what hard work and commitment looked like.
That season of life actually made me stronger for the future. I'm guessing you've got some seasons of life that were really hard. Maybe you're in one right now, and it just feels like you're getting crushed and beaten down.
It might even feel like a slow death. I'm convinced that God is in every season, even the difficult ones. King Solomon talks about these challenging seasons in Ecclesiastes 3, when he says there's a season for everything: a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down, and a time to build.
If we really believe God is working all things together for the good of those who love him, then we've got to believe that things really are working for our good, even in those really difficult seasons where it feels like we're being torn down and maybe even dying. God wastes nothing, and I'm convinced that even if your own mistakes created your challenges, God can take those things too and use them to strengthen you. Going to the gym to build strength requires pushing your muscles a little beyond what they're comfortable with.
You actually start tearing the muscles a bit. Then, just as important as the workout is the recovery time, which allows the muscles to heal. They heal back stronger, and you're actually able to do more the next time. The same thing happens with bones.
If they're given time to heal, they come back stronger. We're the same emotionally and spiritually, but it requires a season of stretching, tearing, and healing. So maybe right now, you're in a struggle that you can't get out of.
I want to encourage you that this may be a season of tearing down to ultimately make you stronger. Or maybe you're in a season right now where you've just come through the storm of your life, and you must permit yourself to have a season of healing. Slow down a little bit and heal.
Don't worry; you'll get back into the fight soon enough and be even stronger because you gave yourself time to heal. My prayer is that we would be those who recognize the season we're in. We don't run from those hard, tearing down, uncomfortable seasons but instead see them as a part of our growth process.
But may we also be those who take time to heal so that we can return even stronger. God is preparing us in every season. Remember, we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which the Father Himself prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
And that is the reason for great hope.
Click here for Part 1: How God’s Presence Guides Us through Difficult Endings and New Beginnings
Photo Credit: SWN Design
He speaks at churches, conferences, and corporate events around the country and is the author of seven books, including Vision Map (Moody Press), Connecting the Dots, and Keep It Light. (Salem/Regnery) He and his wife Emily and daughter Elise live in Texas.
Find out more at: http://joelmalm.com
