Yesterday was Thanksgiving, but all this week, I've been contemplating what I'm most grateful for this year. We usually go around the table, sharing what we're thankful for, and I guess I like to be prepared or have an idea of my answer. And during my Bible study one night, I realized,
I'm so thankful for the heartbreak.
This year, it felt like there's been a lot of hard stuff stacked on top of each other, all at the same time. Health issues in the people I love, finding a potential diagnosis for my shins, a breakup, feeling of rejection, stress with school, and more. There's been a lot.
But even though all of this has been stacked on top of each other, I feel more blessed and more joyful than maybe ever before. It's been hard for sure, but alongside all the pain is this indescribable freedom and peace.
In the midst of all of this heartbreak and hurt and anxiety and sometimes all out war in my mind, God has come through more than ever before. He is so close right now. To all of us. He is moving, and He is working in our lives, intricately weaving our stories together to write our beautiful testimony. He is alive and active, and He is fighting on our behalf, in the midst of all of our battles.
I know that each and every one of us are facing our own set of struggles this Thanksgiving season. But, personally, I don't want to be stuck in sadness or pity this holiday season. Yes, I need to grieve and process my emotions, but this year, God's giving me a different perspective.
Yes, there's been a lot of heartbreak for all of us. But instead of resenting that, being angry or bitter about it, I'm choosing to be thankful for it.
I'm thankful for how the heartbreak has drawn me closer to God, for the new intimacy there is, as I cling to the Lord in the midst of pain.
I'm thankful for the people God has drawn close to me, and how He's used them to show me His truth and love.
I'm thankful for the testimony He's writing, that hopefully, one day, I can use to encourage other people.
I'm thankful that now, my worship has a deeper meaning because I am wholeheartedly, solely, depending on the Father in the midst of my hurt.
I'm thankful that even in the heartbreak, Jesus is teaching me what true joy and peace looks like, and it's nothing I could muster up on my own.
I'm thankful that God is opening my eyes to the million little miracles around me, all of which are little gifts from God.
I don't know what heartbreak, pain, or struggle you're enduring right now. No matter what it is, please know that I am praying for you. Please know that God is good, even in the heartbreak. Please know that He is right here with you, even if it doesn't feel like it. And please know that He is using your pain to write a beautiful story, and He will one day work it all for good.
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
This holiday season, during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and beyond, it is my prayer that God would open your eyes to see your heartbreak through a new lens. Not to minimize the pain, or to undermine anything you're feeling, but to remind you that He is still good, in the midst of it all. To remind you that the heartbreak is not forever, and it does not define you. To remind you that He is working all things for good, and there is hope in this struggle because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
None of the blessings we have right now, both physical and spiritual, would be possible without the death of Jesus. On the cross, Jesus endured the worst imaginable pain as He bore the sins of this world on His perfect human body. And in the midst of the agonizing, humiliating death, He felt the most defeating heartbreak of all, because He was being murdered by those He loved. He was murdered and rejected by those He wanted to come save and bring all the blessings to. He was killed, handed over by one of His very own disciples.
If that's not heartbreak, I don't know what is.
But that's not the end of the story, friends. Jesus' story and heartbreak doesn't end there. Because three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. He conquered all the sin and hurt and heartbreak of the world, and He defeated the devil himself.
Because of Jesus' heartbreak, because of what He endured, our heartbreak isn't the end of the story. He's not done with our story yet. He's still working, and the resurrection is right around the corner.
This Thanksgiving, I have so much that I'm grateful for. So much. My friends, family, a warm house, closet full of clothes. I'm thankful for AP Bio, cross country, and Run the Race. I'm thankful for pumpkin roll, Chick-fil-A milkshakes, and sunsets. But most of all, I'm thankful for the heartbreak that both Jesus and I endured. I'm thankful for the heartbreak because it's not the end of the story, it's only the introduction to what God is doing in my life.
This Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? I'd encourage you to let me know in the comments below, but even if you don't, please, please, please tell Jesus. Thank Him for all He's done in your life, and for the many blessings He's poured over you. He's the one you really need to be telling. :)
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