Sometimes we can get so overwhelmed when difficulties hit us all at once! I mean, the truth is that we sort of do okay when we can take one thing at a time. But throw a bunch at us at the same time, and we are a little undone!
It’s kind of like playing tennis. If someone serves you one ball, you can most likely hit that thing back. But having multiple balls served to you, you are lucky if you hit any back! And if they just keep coming, at some point, you want to put down your racket and walk away!
That’s how I think many of us feel when life turns up the heat in multiple areas. It’s the old saying “when it rains, it pours”. And pouring rain can cause you to isolate yourself so you don’t drown.
When I have found myself in these situations, feeling so overwhelmed and often defeated, I have said to the Lord, “Can You pump the brakes for a bit? I need a break!”
But here’s the truth: pumping the brakes means you stop altogether. Putting the racket down means you are out of play. You stopped. And yet, I think we would all say that we don’t want to quit. That quitting is not an option.
But we do sometimes feel like we just need a moment of solace, where there’s peace, and everything is okay and right; even if it is just for a short bit, for us to recuperate and begin again.
I’ve been in a season of “re-framing” my perspectives for quite some time. I have sought the Lord to change my earthly perspectives to His perspectives. It all began when I wrote my first book, Authentic Woman, because I wanted God’s perspective of my body, soul and spirit. I often have conversations with the Lord that say, “I see it this way; how do You see it?” This question often changes everything!!!
Today, I came across this verse, Proverbs 17:3 “In the same way that gold and silver are refined by fire, the Lord purifies your heart by the tests and trials of life.”
My heart is purified: of wrong thoughts, of untruths, of dominating feelings, of ungodly motives. My heart is purified by tests and trials in life. That means to avoid the tests and the trials, means my heart remains contaminated. Yuck.
So what if today, we re-framed our perspective of difficult times that seem to overwhelm us? What if those things in actuality are permitted by God to purify our hearts? What if not getting a break is because it brings you closer to your breakthrough? Let me say that one again:
What if not getting a break is because it brings you closer to your breakthrough?
So maybe it’s not that you need a break. Maybe God is saying this: “You don’t need a break, you just need to know that I am with you and your surrendered obedience is going to open up a new place of peace in the midst of storms, like you have never experienced before.”
You will be able to return the balls served to you, discerning which need your immediate attention, which can be hit later, and which you can let pass by. You will receive this monumental breakthrough of REST that so many are looking for.
Remember: your best life is not ever going to be lived here, so quit clawing for it, by avoiding difficult circumstances. Your best life will be lived in eternity. So while you are here, let the Refiner re-frame your heart to align with His. You’ll navigate this life a whole lot better.
You are loved,
Jena