STUCK TO FULFILLED
Introduction:
What was the hardest part of your life? For some, it’s losing a loved one, failing an exam, or experiencing a moment when someone you needed wasn’t there for you. For me, however, it was the time after the chaos ended and I was left alone with my thoughts. I realized that just when you think, “it’s all over,” that’s when the tides of emotion can change unexpectedly. Now that the damage has been done, what happens next? My mind was spinning. Why is it that when the hardest part is over, I feel more lost than ever? What do I do now? Then, I heard a familiar voice say, “Five keys.”
Identify The Problem & Solution:
The cool air filled my lungs as I paced up and down our slippery driveway, tears streaming down my red cheeks. It was done. I couldn’t do it. Over and over, I kept pushing on, sending applications in the mail and driving back into town for the same answer. I felt like a failure. Like a thorn in my side, I kept thinking, “This isn’t even a big deal. I’ve been through worse.” But to me, it was a big deal. I felt completely alone.
I called out to the only friend I felt I had left, pleading, “Help me! How do I get out of this?” My heart was crushed under a multitude of boulders as I waited in anger for His reply. “Look out, not in,” came His enchanting voice. “What? How can I? I don’t feel like I can do anything!” I snapped back.
Finding the reason:
Suddenly, I was hit with my two biggest fears: failure and abandonment. It wasn’t just my inability to get my driver’s permit that was bothering me. Old fears had come to gnaw at me. Memories that triggered my fears resurfaced—a phone ringing, long nights spent crying out in desperation while resting against the cool boulder I returned to time and again. The problem wasn’t just the small things happening at the moment; it was a deeper root of unresolved trauma and fear that Jesus wanted to heal.
Then, the warm embrace of His presence overwhelmed me. My fears, pain, and despair melted away like ice on a southern July afternoon. For that love, I would go through all of this 100 times over. The solution is Jesus!
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all of their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are in afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (Psalms 34:17-19)
The Five Keys:
As the Holy Spirit gave me this newfound understanding, He began to reveal His glorious ways for me to rise above this swirling ocean. To climb in victory out of my self-dug pit. He showed me how to use pain and past hardships as opportunities to grow closer to Jesus and help others overcome their struggles as well. However, I still felt overwhelmed by everything this world throws at me, as if the devil himself were trying to pull me into a deep pit. Anyway, I listen and surrender my kind of crazy life, handing the reins back into His unwavering hands, and I wait. He handed me back five keys to unlock the seemingly glued shut door.
- Look out toward others not at your self.
- Surrendering this mess to Jesus.
- Change your perspective from earthly to eternal.
- Step out and serve others.
- Focus on Christ’s overwhelming LOVE!
Listening intently, my shoulders slacked. seeing for the first time in days the way that my heavenly Father saw this minor difficulty. Laughing, I still think back on this memory in gratitude. I eventually got my permit. But more importantly, Christ used this frail moment in my life to dig out a splinter in my heart. And healed and brought me even closer to Him than I thought possible. I see that if He did not use this now funny situation, I would still have that trauma and fear underlying everything that I do. All you have to do is trust Him. Surrendering this tiny mess into His hands to make into treasure.
His Surpassing Worth:
Are the hardships and trials we face worth it? Absolutely! Consider the immense sacrifice of Jesus. The nails driven into His hands, the blood from the stripes on His back, the weight of the world’s sin and guilt He bore, and the separation from the love and presence of God—all for us. It’s hard to imagine carrying such a burden, but Christ did so that we wouldn’t have to. He has prepared for us an eternal home in Zion where we will dwell forever
What are our struggles compared to the surpassing worth of Jesus’s love? God has washed away your fears, trauma, anxiety, and even those chocolate cravings. You just need to place your burdens in His strong arms and watch them vanish. As Romans 5:3-5 says, “Not only that, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
You are redeemed, and Christ calls you to share that same healing with others. Small acts of kindness—a simple note, a cup of hot coffee, or just listening attentively—are never overlooked by God. Let us worship and serve not only in easy times but also in the midst of chaos. I am excited to see what He will do next!
- The sacrifice of Jesus is for all of us.
- This is not our true home.
- All is washed away.
CONCLUSION:
- Call on the Name of Jesus.
- Identify the problems & solutions.
- Look out instead of in.
- Surrender it all to Christ.
- Change your perspective from earthly to eternal.
- Focus on the love of God & let it overflow in you.
- Serve others instead of sulking over your situation.
Though we are weak, Jesus is strong. And He turns all of the pain, trials, hardships, running out of coffee moments into bringing you closer to Himself. Moreover, growing you into the person that He created you to be from before time began. Now you get to choose. You can let this be the turning point in your life and live in the presence of God, or continue to sit in an endless, dark hole. The choice is yours.
May the joy, peace, and love of Jesus our lord overflow in you!
-Emmy Lou.
P.S. XOXO
