Years ago, one of my sons worked with a person who was demeaning, nitpicky, and didn’t know anything about kindness, encouragement, or vision. Every day was a drudgery, and my son lost heart over time. The light went out of his eyes. He prayed. He forgave. He started each new day again, only to find himself stuck in an impossible situation.
One day he lamented to me, “I can’t keep going like this, Mom. I need something to change.” My heart broke for him. I prayed passionately and encouraged him as best I could, but wisdom from one of my other sons set his heart right. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and said, “Look, bro, God is all around you! You’re a walking miracle!”
“What do you mean I’m a walking miracle?”
His brother continued, “You’re working in an impossible situation, yet every night you faithfully go home to your wife; you kiss her and tell her you love her. That’s a miracle. You’re still hilariously funny and kind and insightful. You’ve not let this bitter boss destroy you. Yes, this is hard, but what if God is growing strength and perseverance in you? Maybe you’ll need this fortitude in the future.”
His word proved right. My son leaned in, looked for the good amid all the bad, and found his soul encouraged. He determined to look for growth and celebrate it. He learned not to take insults from his boss so personally, even though she meant them that way. He somehow found his joy. And then, one day, God opened the door for him to move on to a better place.
My pastor always used to say that you’re not free to go until you’re free to stay. The various storms in my son’s life have sent his roots down deep. I look at him now as an oak of righteousness.
Most of us attribute the significant growth in our life to the things we’ve suffered, the ways we’ve failed, or the seasons we had to endure. But growth isn’t just about biding our time through difficult seasons. It’s about learning to cast our cares more quickly upon the One who cares for us. It’s about learning how to practice God’s presence in the everyday grind of life. It’s about learning to rest, laugh, and play while we wait for our breakthrough. It’s about counting life’s blessings when the burdens feel especially heavy. It’s about coming under Jesus’ light and easy yoke and trusting Him to do the heavy lifting.
Susie Larson offers more encouragement this Monday on LIFE TODAY. Taken from Closer Than Your Next Breath by Susie Larson. Copyright ©2023 Susie Larson. Published by W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Used by permission
