DIFFICULTIES and DEFINITIONS

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

 

… remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome. - Maya Angelou

 

True.

 

Hard to keep that in mind when the difficulties show up.

I mean when we pray how often do, we pray, “GOD thanks for the day and for life and if you are not too busy send some trouble my way.”?

 

We don’t.

 

But what Jesus did promise is that adversity was inevitable. (John 16:33)

But it doesn’t have to define us.

 

Yesterday I was on a conference call with some faith and recovery leaders from Wisconsin and Maryland and we got on this topic of "DEFINITION"

 

You see sometimes we DEFINE people by their DIFFICULTIES.  In fact, in my line of work we often use their DIFFICULTIES to not just define them but IDENTIFY them.

We use descriptors like Greg the "alcoholic"

 

But we don’t do that with other challenges do we?

We don’t say Jim the “Cancer” or Sally the “Bankrupt” do we?

 

Friends, difficulties shouldn’t define us. 

We will go through them but even at their zenith they don’t strip us of WHO we are and often they do advance us into what WE CAN BECOME!

 

Lord Byron once remarked that, “Adversity is the first path to truth.”

 

That is good. At least it is for me. My adversity led me to NEW TRUTH about the LORD and our relationship that is for sure!

 

The Bible says it this way…

after your brief suffering, the God of all loving grace, who has called you to share in his eternal glory in Christ, will personally and powerfully restore you and make you stronger than ever. - 1 Peter 5:10 (TPT)

 

So, friends never allow your difficulties to become your definition.  

They are temporary.

And while they do have purpose they will and do pass.

 

Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option. We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out...

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (TPT)

I love you all!

Opportunities for Hope