Victim To Victor
Hard times, we just can not escape them. They come and they go and when it rains it pours. When hard times come it is okay to sit in grief for the moment Matthew 5:4 says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” But we can't live in that grief, we can't live our lives feeling sorry for ourselves. Revelation 21:4 says “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” There comes a time where we must get up and go, we can't let those things define us or hold us down. We must let these things be a part of our story that we tell to further God's kingdom. Newsflash our stories aren't about us, they are about God! So at some point we have to go from victim to victor. Throughout the past couple of years in my life I truly did live in a victim mindset, constantly questioning why God would allow certain things to happen to me. I was constantly living in the grief that I had experienced. I did not understand why I had to be the girl whose parents were separated, or why I had to be the girl without a dad, or why I couldn't be the person for whom I thought was my person. I didn't understand why I had to watch some of the best people in my life go through some of the worst times. I questioned God constantly, why, why, why. The truth is we do not always know why God's plan unfolds the way it does, but we do know that His plan is good and worth trusting. John 13:7 says “Jesus replied, ‘You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.’” His timing is the best timing, so put your trust in Him. As christians we have to die to ourselves which in turn means we have to let go of what we think is best for ourselves and let go of trying to control everything, we must let go and let God! Philippians 4:6 reads “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” This concept has quite literally taken me my entire life to even comprehend. I am what you could call a control freak (lol), someone who doesn't find comfort in “going with the flow.” I love to plan and know what's going on 24/7, and sometimes that's just not how life is. God's plan doesn’t always feel comfortable, but we have to trust because we know in our hearts that His plan is what's best for us. We must seek Him and receive His peace. We aren't made to know what's next, God gave us one day at a time because He knew that's all we could handle. In the words of Zach Bryan, “I do not and will not fear tomorrow because I feel as though today has been enough.” One day at a time, wake up, do life, go to sleep, and do it all over again the next day. We must keep our eyes fixed on God and stay rooted in Him. He is where our hope is found so don't live in the darkness, seek the light. Darkness and light cannot coexist, John 1:5 reads “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” I wasn't seeking God, I wasn't allowing any light into my life and I hit a point where I couldn't do it anymore. I was alone, I was hurt, and I needed light in my life. I needed Jesus, so I began to chase the light with all I had, it was the only hope I had left. Somewhere between then and now my my sad car drives bawling my eyes out turned into windows down blasting worship music as loud as the radio will go, crying myself to sleep turned into prayer, my thoughts of not wanting to live this life turned into thanking God for another day, “i'm not enough” turned into “i'm a child of God,” my mourning turned to dancing. Somewhere between then and now He healed my broken heart, I went from victim to victor.
Good Talk,
Rylie With The Messy Life :)
Grieving someone due to death: 1 Thessalonians 4:13 “Our loved ones who died and knew the Lord are with the Lord. So, when we grieve, our grief is different because we know they are with the Lord, which is better by far. We shall meet them again. We grieve, but it is not without hope.”
Grieving someone who is still alive: 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Matthew 11:28-30 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.””
Not living in grief: Ecclesiastes 3:4-5 “A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.”
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”