Beauty From Pain
Man. Life is hard. There are so many things bombarding your mind and soul that it can be extremely difficult to see the good in any of it. Hurricanes. Politics. Earthquakes. Cancer. Violence. Substance use. Unexpected tragedies. I can spend the majority of my word limit on this blog entry listing out all of the things and stuff and circumstances that life entails this side of eternity. It is jagged, difficult, and just plain not fun. So, how do you find the good in all this crud?
Something to remember my precious friend is that when Paul (the author of Romans) wrote these words, it was a letter to the churches in Rome. Therefore, verses and chapters weren’t in the document. It just flowed like a fire hydrant of encouragement and challenges to the people who read and listened to it. So while we are focusing on Romans 8:28 this month, whenever reading God’s word, we need to keep it in context of the thought, book, and Bible in its entirety.
As we have been breaking down Romans 8, we have learned that despite us wrestling with sin, because of what Jesus did on the cross, there is no condemnation because Jesus fulfilled all the rules and regulations set forth by a holy and just God (Which we can’t argue with because He created everything, so He gets to say what is right and make the rules). We’ve learned we can’t earn this salvation or do it ourselves, but that it is God’s Spirit within us that helps on this faith journey and in our life. And because of His Spirit, we are transformed into new creations and are being prepared to receive an inheritance. Can we just take a minute and say, “Amen!” To that?! Paul is now taking this good news and leading us into the reality that we are going to see and experience things that are difficult in this life. Because of the things we see and experience, we have Jesus interceding for us, praying on our behalf. And finally, he tells us,
“That’s [all this stuff just summarized] why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” (Romans 8:28, MSG)
How I wish when I became a Christian that magically a guy that looked similar to Mr. Clean would show up and clean up my life. Make everything better. Fix it. All of it. But, that’s not what happened. I still had the consequences play out in all of my choices. God usually won’t change the consequences from the decisions we make. But, the wonderful news is that He can take those choices and the yucky consequences we experience and do something absolutely wonderful with them. We usually don’t realize that until long after.
I have wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl. I used to write every day and be annoyingly meticulous about the detail of the characters and stories that flowed from my pencils and pens (Yes, I am old enough to not have had a computer or digital device for the majority of my childhood). I can remember describing Santa Claus’ wall paper in his North Pole compound in a story I wrote in 6th grade. I had many people tell me I had a gift. And I thrived on those words. It was fuel to my soul. Somewhere along the way my dream got buried underneath life. And life took some sharp turns and deep dips down into valleys I didn’t realize I was treading. But God has taken all those situations, consequences, circumstances, and memories and use them for good. Sometimes it is in my own life and I remember the lesson(s) I learned so I make different choices. Sometimes it is with a client that shares their wounded heart with me and I can relate to them that creates a human connection they rarely receive. But, the majority of my experiences end up being inter twined in my writings. I absolutely love how God can remind me that my heart has been completely shattered by the ideas and ways of this world; but in His rebuilding of it I can share my story and encourage others. The gift of words that flow from my finger tips He has bestowed upon me is no longer focused on creative writing and describing wall paper; but I thrive on motivating, relating, encouraging, challenging, and helping others understand His Word by sharing my stories.
That’s what Paul means when he says, “…we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.” God can take your shattered heart and rebuild it, and with your gifts and the calling He has for you, you can encourage and be a light for Jesus. When hurricanes hit coast lines and earth quakes topple buildings, the majority of the relief and support comes from The Church (meaning Christians as a whole, not a specific denomination). How many people will enter the gates of splendor into Eternity because their home was destroyed and a Christian showed up to serve? That is something beautiful that comes out of the crud.
God is the creator of everything. When He speaks, He creates. It’s something that our minds can’t truly grasp and never will. But when He speaks detail and life into your circumstances, good things come out of it. Because God only creates things that are good. We may make absolutely horrific messes, but He will take those elements of the mess and turn it into something beautiful. I promise.
What mess in your life needs to be cleaned up? How can God make it good and beautiful? Resonate with that today and talk to Him in prayer about it and then spend some time reading His word. You may be pleasantly surprised what happens.
Megan Sinisi 30-something year old lady who is wife to an amazing husband whose love heals the wreckage of her soul and mom to 3 precious little tyrants whom she loves more than her own breath. She absolutely adores a good cup of coffe, chocolate and peanut butter combinations, being silly and laughing with her family, and chatting with friends about embarrissing moments and deep things all at the same time. She is a nationally and state certified drug counselor who has spent the majority of her career in the criminal justice system building bridges between the legal and treatment worlds. Her goals are to be a wife whom loves her husband fiercely; a mother whom her children will rise and call her blessed; and a faithful servant who will use the gifts God has given her in the arenas of counseling, writing, and speaking. You can read more of Megan's writings at myrenderingheart.wordpress.com