I am writing this to those who are struggling right now. I am writing this because in looking back over my life, I find that in those dark places of despair, I found hope. I am writing this so someone out there will find hope to go on.
We are all human. That single condition makes us predisposed to suffering. It does not matter whether you are rich, poor, beautiful or homely. Because we are human we have suffering on this earth. This is our commonality. And this place of suffering, this struggle in life, is where our character is built.
My life has not been an easy one, but it has been a very blessed one. At those times when life was darkest, I learned that I was not in control of everything, but I also learned who was in control, and that my own best interest was at His heart.
Homeless, not once, but twice. Sitting in the dark, alone, wondering where I would go and what I would do, I cried out to God, and He provided for me. Abandoned, not once, but several times, I felt unworthy of anyone, cried out to God, and He showed me that He had never left my side. Afraid, fearing for my life many times, and He showed up to protect me in supernatural ways that left no doubt who was on my side.
It was in those times, when I had come to the end of me, when there was nothing I could do about my situation that I found the truth that set me free. I learned that there was someone who cared about me, who loved me beyond all understanding, and who would never abandon me. And with baby steps, I walked through those hard times, learning with each step what it means to have faith, not because of what someone had told me, but because I had experienced the grace and goodness of God.
How, you say, can I say I was blessed, to have lived through those hard times? Because it was in those hard times I learned who I was, in relationship to others, but mostly in relationship to God, and it was in those times, I grew.
My grandfather was a great teacher, often using the common things in life to illustrate something so I would understand. I remember one day he brought me out to an old elm tree that was on our farm. The trunk was gnarled and twisted from age. The bark on it had deep cracks and scars. Granddad had me touch it, climb it, experience this grand old tree. In spite of the blemishes it bore from the long years of struggle, it was the strongest tree on the farm. It didn’t matter that it was old, in the springtime, it’s leaves were just as green as those of the young saplings that sprouted beneath its great branches. “This tree has suffered much, and you can see that from the cracks in its bark and the twisting of its branches.” He said to me. “This scar here was from when it was hit by a car, and those deep cracks were from a winter that nearly killed it. It must have been very painful to have those things happen, don’t you think?” And as I listened, those words went deep into my heart, and they stayed. God led Grandad to teach me this lesson; That it is the struggles that make us grow, it is the pain we survive that teaches us, it is the suffering that we endure that leads us to know that God has a plan for our lives. And His plan is only for our good.
Like that tree, I have grown over the years. Yes, I have aged, and yes, I have scars to prove that life has been a struggle, But it is the strength that I have gained from the scars and the struggles that have led me to have hope in the God who allowed those struggles in my life.
For those of you who are struggling right now, Hold On! Most of our life's battles cannot be avoided, but must be walked through. Remember in those times, you are not going through it alone; God is with you. You may come out of it with scars like that old tree. But you will be stronger for it. And like that old tree, the joy on the other side of the battle will be like a springtime morning, fresh and new!
Copyright © 2011 by Susan Linn-Gomez. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by Susan Linn-Gomez. All Rights Reserved.
