God doesn’t operate as humans do!

He uses the foolish to shame the wise, or confound the wise.

He makes a no-name shepherd into a king — He lets the last to go first.

He prays for his enemies — He turns the other cheek.

He overcomes evil with good — He defeats death itself by submitting himself to death — and He births Hope out of suffering!

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And HOPE does not put us to shame, because God‘s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.“ Romans 5:3–5

Check out the Formula here:

Suffering produces perseverance,
perseverance, produces character,
and character produces Hope.

Of all the ways we expect Hope to be produced, I’m betting suffering wouldn’t have been at the top of the list!

And yet, here we see, that it is the unlikely place where Hope — the rarest of Treasures — is actually found.

We all know there are no quick fixes to trauma. It’s going to take patience and grit, but “Go!”

Do not give up!~

James, Jesus’ brother writes,

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finishes work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything!” James 1:2–4

I’m rather inclined to believe that he meant something like this: Don’t give up when you’re already partway there! Don’t let it all be for nothing!

Yes, the pain is awful, but if you keep moving forward, it will mean something someday.

Somehow, this terrible experience will be recycled for something good even though it doesn’t make sense to you right now.

Don’t give up! Keep holding onto Hope, because God is faithful to provide it and because you are not alone in the struggle.

Trauma may have been what brought you here, but soon enough, God’s redemptive love for you will take you to places so rich with Joy and Purpose, you can’t even imagine there are!

Hold on!

 

~ Gail Manizak

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Gail Manizak of The Power and Presence Ministry, is all about encouraging the Body of Christ as a Ministry of Intercession and contending for our communities, as a House of Prayer.

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