Dear reader,
Welcome back, I hope you have been well since we last spoke. This past week has been a bit of a whirlwind, it was fast and slow at times, and I took a minute to reflect this past Thursday on where I was and where I was heading and I was filled with immense joy, and a large amount of sadness as well.
I learned something this past week, there’s no reason to not share what is happening in your story. Someone might need to hear/see that you are both on the same page of your story, you can relate or sympathize with them. Or my personal favorite, you just need to get it off your chest. My new philosophy of sharing is this.
First, tell God, make sure He knows exactly what I’m thinking and that I’ve specifically given him the time as I lay my heart out on the table for him to show me what I need to be dwelling on.
Him. His word. His work.
Second, tell my family, I don’t want to go about the rest of my days holding in my hurt, my struggles, and my trials. I need support, and encouragement. We weren’t made to be a lone wolf walking through life all alone. That’s how we suffocate ourselves.
So where do I go from here? Am I going to share with you all my deep dark secrets and every detail of my life on this little blog?
No. No, I won’t do that. Not all of you reading this need to know every part of my story.
But, I will be sharing more and more of who I am, what’s happening in my story, and where God’s taking me.
Starting today. It’s 11:47 on August 22nd, 2020, and my life is not normal. Which I’m most grateful for. I would never ask for something boring, but there have been some moments in the past couple of years that a little break from craziness would be nice. But then again, I’ve learned you see God working the most in the ways you don’t want to see Him.
To invite you into a snapshot of my bizarre life would need a bit of a warning. Kind of like all the Series Of Unfortunate Events books/movie/or TV Show.
“I must warn you, the story before your eyes is not a happy one. You may choose to go and find some other literature that uplifts your spirits or teaches you how to cook fantastic meals for your Gluten-free family.”
Am I exaggerating? A smidge. But here’s where I want to go with this.
In John 16:33 Jesus says this… “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Jesus says you WILL have tribulation. Grief, heartache, woe, misery, a cross to bear.
Over in Luke 9:23, Jesus also says “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Wow. Here I am complaining about how crazy my story is when in reality God is giving me these trials for the sanctification of my faith just as it says in James Chapter 1.
Take up your cross, choose to die for those around you, go as low as you possibly can, and then some. Be willing to suffer in any way you can for God’s glory. Now that’s something I want.
Now that doesn’t mean the trials won’t hurt. The biggest trial in my story at this moment in time is the fact that my parents just went through with a divorce.
The paperwork is complete, a day I’ve been praying would never come to pass. That split my entire world into two very broken pieces. That’s not something I can just walk forward with a smile on my face, I won’t. I refuse to be fake to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
But. I will choose to look for Joy. That’s no easy task, I never will say it is. We still need to be real and open with our emotions and our reactions to the trials in our life. This broken world will continue to be dirty and hurtful until Christ returns, and until that day comes I will continue to bring glory to His name with all I am given to do.
I have a lot more trials happening in my life. Most of which you will hear of in the weeks to come. But for now, I want to encourage you. The trials you’re walking in today, or the trials you’ve been walking through for a while now, they aren’t just there for no reason. Your faith is being tested, lean into it, don’t run away from what is hurting.
Until we speak again,
-Mitchell
