Struggles Make You Stronger

I imagine that when we were little, every little girl dreamed of becoming a princess or a movie star. We thought that we would be hugely successful at life and love and that all of our wishes would come true. We looked for falling stars to make wishes upon; we blew on dandelions and hoped that the wind would carry our wishes to whatever fairy makes them come true; we prayed.

Somewhere along the line, reality set in. We realized that we had to be our own knights in shining armor and that fairies only exist on the silver screen. Some of us had the resilience to press on; others of us couldn’t face that reality and we took detours, some quite painful and long.

I’ve made many detours in my life, some more treacherous than others and I have survived. There are people in my past that like to remind me of the potential I had when I was young and how I failed to live up to their expectations. There are people in my present that judge my past because it varies so much from theirs. I just let them have their judgment because I know that I wouldn’t still be here if I didn’t have a resilient spirit and the heart of a warrior.

The real truth is I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for God‘s plans for my life. The Bible says that God uses all things for the good of those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes. I don’t know when I realized that I was called according to His purposes or that He loved me; all I know is that He has used ALL things in my life, and that includes each detour, for good. I. AM. SO. GRATEFUL.

The very things that people would judge and shame me for are the very things that have made me an effective counselor. There are people that I can reach that other counselors may not be able to because I have walked the walk and can therefore talk the talk. God uses each of our wounds and scars as a testimony of His faithfulness. I have to remind myself that even Jesus Christ was judged and talked about, so I’m in very good company.

I don’t let the opinions of a few stop me from doing what I feel I was put here to do and reaching the people that I believe God wants me to reach. My prayer today is that you will find beauty in your scars, healing in your testimony, and use it to His glory in the blessing of others.