Suffered for a Season
1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.
To suffer means:
1: to endure death, pain, or distress
2: to sustain loss or damage
3: to be subject to disability or handicap
A season means: a time characterized by a circumstance or feature
The good thing about seasons is that they change!
Being in the valley/ the pit/ your low place is where you gained your strength! You took your power back! You found YOU! Not the person they thought you should be but the YOU God called you to be!!
I too have had moments of suffering, when I felt like giving up, when my back was against the wall! BUT GOD! You will still have moments but always be reminded of what God brought you through. The days that have gone are days you will never see again & each day coming are days you have never seen before.
Look at you now! There was once a time that you hung your head in shame, you hid from what was reality, you tried to justify what was happening to you, you found yourself in denial, you lashed out at people who didn’t deserve it, you pushed people away those who sincerely cared, BUT now that the season of suffering has passed;
You are able to hold your head up, stick your chest out, put a smile on your face & tell your story proudly & boldly because: you overcame, you beat the odds, you made it out alive, you have helped many in the room who are suffering with the same issues, they now feel free, so continue to tell your story which was once a place of loss, distress & pain because now that your season has passed you can LIVE AGAIN!
Today you have entered a new season-of love, peace, joy, happiness, & you too can be free!
Suffering enhances your strength. I believe it is in those moments when God reveals to us that the pain is not for you but for those who will need you to pull them out!! In order to pull someone out of something you have to be strong, you had to have endured somethings!
I will leave you with these 3 things to remember:
1.There is purpose in your pain-it may not feel good, it may hurt but hang on!!!
2.God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness- you may be weak, but the power of God is strong!
3. Seasons change-the pain, suffering, or distress will not last always! God will give you double for your trouble!!!
John 14:27 (KJV)
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.