Pain has possibility. Most of us wouldn’t see that in the every day, because pain is difficult. It makes us uncomfortable. Pain makes us have to feel things we don’t want to feel. Wikipedia states “pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations and to avoid similar experiences in the future.” But what about the pain that is unavoidable? I’m not talking about the physical pain you might feel when you stub your toe or break your arm. I’m talking about emotional pain – the deep stuff. The stuff that hurts so much you don’t even want to read any further. (Keep going, it’s okay. Trust me!)

The kind of pain that we all have to endure at some point in our lives but we all hope we never have to endure. The pain of broken relationships. The pain of hard situations and circumstances that t-bone you when you least expect it. Painful situations don’t seem like they have possibility. But they do.

Sometimes God allows pain into our lives to change and shape us. That is such a difficult lesson – and one that often will take us years to understand and process. In the meantime, we can take a look at King David – the man after God’s own heart. He had a lot going for him – he was a king chosen by God himself. But he suffered greatly, and his pain was so overwhelming for him.

Let’s look at the beginning – before he even assumed the throne – he was working for King Saul, who became so jealous of David that he wanted to kill him. Numerous times he fled for his life. He spent many years on the run from Saul. But God used that time in his life to change and shape him – it was in those times that he wrote many psalms and songs that we still read today.

Fast forward to the New Testament and we see another Saul – also called Paul – who suffers much pain in his ministry. This is the one who had spent time chasing down and arresting Christians who was vehemently opposed to the gospel of Jesus. Until he had his own encounter and literally saw the light. After that it was his life’s mission to bring the news of the life and resurrection of Jesus to everyone he saw  – both Jews and Gentiles. This made some Roman officials very angry, as some Jews didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Numerous times Paul was arrested and jailed and put on trial for living out his life assignment from God. At one point, he was arrested for doing nothing other than performing a Jewish ritual in the temple. The Jewish leaders had been trying to catch him for so long they leapt at the chance, after which they had nothing to accuse him of – at least not anything that would stick – and he was passed from official to official to official until he was finally set free. This lengthy process allowed him time to write the many letters to the surrounding churches to encourage and guide them – what we now know as the Epistles.

Pain has possibility. In the deepest, darkest and most painful situations. When we just can’t handle the pain for one more moment – it happens. He breathes hope into the hopeless situations. It may be just a little whisper. It might be just a spark of encouragement. It may be something grand. But it is hope just the same. And hope is His promise to us as we struggle through day to day life. Hope is His promise to us as we face the painful situations in our life.

It was Paul, the one who had been imprisoned numerous times during his missionary journey, who wrote the book of Romans. So when I read these words, I know they are coming from someone who endured suffering and pain:

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of unreserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us to develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope and salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.” Romans 5:2-5

Even through the painful situations, we can see hope through Christ. He breathes hope into our lives, and even through the pain, we are transformed.

One Sunday morning as we were worshipping in church, we were singing a song that I felt right down to my very core. And in that moment, I felt like He had breathed hope right into my body. My broken, aching body. The words that crept into the secret recesses of my heart and filled me with life:

Pain has possibility. It can even be a gift that we are grateful for. I never thought there would come a day where I would stand there and confess in my heart that I was grateful for this debilitating disease. But here I am, saying it. I am thankful, grateful and hope infused for this pain, if it would be this that He would use to someone point others to Him, whether it be by my life or my words.

So whatever pain you are experiencing, be it emotional pain, physical pain, spiritual pain, or all of the above, it is my prayer that He will breathe hope into your hopeless situations today. Because His hope stands forever, long after our painful situations have passed away.

Sometimes life is hard. There are days when you feel bogged down with the ins and outs of every day life and the stressors that brings – little annoyances that threaten to push you over the edge. Things that aren’t massively important in the grand scheme of things, but in the moment you feel so frazzled that you don’t know what to do or where to turn. Let’s face it, we have all been there. Those are the kind of days that end with you crying in the shower. Nothing to be ashamed of, really. We have all been there.

But then there are the days that are worse than the frazzle that is the every day.  There are days that leave us feeling so broken in our body that we can’t stop weeping. Days where we have received life shattering news about a family member or a friend, or even ourselves. Those days are weeping days. Those are days where we can’t even crawl out of bed. We can’t even face living life on those days. Everything has stopped, suspended in in time – frozen for a moment that seems to last forever.

I had one of those days last week. The day itself wasn’t bad – perhaps a few annoyances here and there. But then I received some devastating news. Two of my friends have cancer and it doesn’t really look good. And then, not long after that news, a text from a friend that her sweet blessing was born still.

It has been a week and I still can’t even think about it because I am the kind of person that when tragedy strikes, I need to step in and help if I can. Sometimes God provides me with a way to do that, and sometimes…He doesn’t. How can you help a situation like that? How can you DO something when there is nothing to be done except trust in God’s plan?

A few weeks ago, I posted a little graphic on Facebook – you know, one of those things you see that gives you the feels, or that you can just really relate to – so you share it.

I promise you, even in the darkest moments He is there. He is present and His love outlasts the end of all of our days, whether they be short or long. Matthew 28:20b says, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” When I read that just now I got that Buzz Lightyear voice in my head that says, “to infinity and beyond!” Because while it doesn’t apply to Buzz, it does apply to the Almighty God. Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever….

I hate divorce. Whenever I hear of someone I know breaking up, it wrecks me. Even if it is the friend of a friend of a friend and their spouse. I weep a little – okay, if we are honest – sometimes I weep a lot. And it happens so often that it makes me feel sick. Why are people breaking up SO much? Just…why?

I am no expert on this topic, because I have a happy marriage. I honestly do, and thank God every day for giving me a guy who loves me and who I love. Giving me a guy who accepts life as it comes (oh, does it ever come some days!) and who rolls with the unexpected. For giving me a guy who is faithful to Him and to me.

But – while we are happy, so many other people aren’t. A lot of people I know are walking into marriage thinking it’s not permanent. Thinking that they aren’t really marrying their one true love. Thinking if things go wrong, they can easily get out of it. And the truth is, they can. It doesn’t take much to legally dissolve a marriage. In fact, friends of mine who were married last year had to actually fight with the bank to allow them a joint account – they now strongly dissuade couples from joining their assets because divorce rate is so high. And not just in secular circles, either. In churches, y’all. Christian homes.

Why!? I mean, I have to say as much as I hate divorce, God hates it more. Malachi 2:16 clearly states that. But the Bible goes on to talk about the serious nature of marriage as well. You know that popular marriage vow “what God has joined together, let man not separate?” Matthew 19:6 – it is actually in Scripture. God knows it will happen, and as such there are Old Testament laws in Deuteronomy to protect divorced couples, especially women.  But just because He expects our sinful nature to allows us to divorce, He really doesn’t like it when it happens. And I am sure He wants us to fight for our marriages.

And let’s face it. People have stopped fighting.

Many times when I hear of yet another couple splitting up, I look at my husband and I say “how does this even happen?!” I guess I already know the answers…

1. It Happens Quicker Than You’d Think – I remember someone telling me that they almost had an affair with someone else, even though they loved their husband. Sitting over coffee, my heart broke for this woman as she confessed to dates with a colleague. Her husband was so busy with work that he travelled often, and he was often not home. She felt left out a lot and wasn’t feeling special. One day when she was at work there was a luncheon scheduled and only she and this other man showed up. The food was there, so they stayed and ate lunch and conversed. They laughed a lot – something she missed doing with her husband. A few days later, he casually asked her if she wanted to take her coffee break with him as he was on his way to the kitchen. Thinking nothing of it, she went along. And so it continued over the next few weeks – coffee break and lunch breaks alone with another man who was not her husband. It didn’t seem like something she shouldn’t be doing. Until one day he asked her if she wanted to go out with him for dinner after work. Her husband was away so she agreed. It wasn’t until she was at home that it hit her. She was in her walk in closet looking for something to wear when she spotted one of her husband’s ties had fallen into the pair of shoes she was planning on wearing. Shoes she only wore when she went out on a date with her husband – somewhere fancy. She said it was as if alarm bells sounded in her head. She sank to the floor and sobbed. Had she ruined everything for a few meals and a few laughs?

Thankfully, no. She called her husband immediately and told him to come straight home – it was an emergency. He dropped all his appointments and flew home that evening. She confessed everything and wept bitterly in his arms. They worked it out together. The important marital lesson that came out of this was this, as he would tell me later: my wife should not be less important than my career. He later told me, “my wife felt like I didn’t notice her anymore. She felt like I didn’t make her feel special. I was running from one meeting to the next and treating her like my personal assistant.” It happens. It’s easy to happen when you are soaring through life and getting ahead.

Pay attention to your spouse. Don’t forget to make them feel special. They need you and you need them.

2. You are NOT Safe – This one hits harder for me. You see, I have an amazing husband who thinks I am beautiful. Honestly? I have no idea what he sees in me! I mean, if you follow my blog than you know I am more than just a little overweight. I am “morbidly obese.” It’s not attractive, y’all. Not even a little bit. I always figured my husband must be a little bit deranged, or perhaps blinded by love to think I am beautiful. So I thought to myself, no worries at all, I will never fall into this trap because no one else will think I am attractive. Right? No. WRONG.  Something I failed to see is that there would be men out there who would see my heart, too. I kind of wear it on my sleeve, don’t I? There would be men out there who would notice me because my personality is even bigger than my body. Seriously. If you know me, you know this is true. One day, I realized that yes, this could make me unsafe.

It all happened when I was talking to a friend of mine from school – way back in the day. My little baby boy was playing in the play park at the mall and my husband was off getting his hair cut. The play area in the mall was located next to the bathrooms, so he passed by it and noticed me. He came over to talk to me right away. It had been a few years since he had seen me – and this was before Facebook connected everyone and their dog. We made small talk for awhile, and shortly before my husband returned he said, “I am sorry you are married already. I mean, you might not have married me any way, but I had – no have – this huge crush on you. You are the triple threat – smart, funny, and beautiful.” I laughed it off in the moment, but I was relieved when my husband returned. I introduced them to each other and it wasn’t long before he was off again. But in that moment, it was more than just those words. It was the look in his eyes. It made me wake up and realize that I wasn’t safe after all.

Sometimes, as the days get long and my body gets worse, I think the same thing. But here and there people come into my life, innocently. It always starts that way – but then sometimes a look or a comment makes me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps I read more into than I should, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Because it reminds me I always need to be on guard to protect myself from situations I don’t need to be in.

3. Be Careful When Life Gets In The Way – One of the common reasons for divorce is “we just didn’t love each other anymore.” THAT SHOULD NOT BE A REASON. I understand that life gets busy – it’s one of things that is so tragic about this world. You get married and you imagine what your life will be like together. Your honeymoon is a dream. Then you have a baby and that’s a dream, too. But then those babies – they kind of take over your life. They require a lot of time and attention. And then they grow – and you get even busier. Playdates, library trips, preschool programs. School starts and it all just seems to fly by – but then there are sports teams, dance practice, swimming lessons. At the end of the day after you have been running the kids from one extra curricular activity to the next, you just want to sit in front of the television and veg for awhile. You don’t want to talk to your spouse. You don’t want to talk about things that matter because it is exhausting, and let’s face it, you are already exhausted. You think about how wonderful it would be to escape together – take a little second honeymoon – but life is so busy you just don’t have the time. And then, you just don’t see each other any more. You keep busy with work, or with hobbies and it just seems like you become each other’s roommate.

Don’t let that happen. Date each other – do it often. Block it off in  your calendar if you have to. I get that it is harder to do with small children in the house, and sometimes babysitters are not affordable. But there are tons of great ideas for at home date nights floating around on the internet. Don’t give up on each other.

4. It’s Worth The Work – This is a popular one, too. “It just isn’t worth it anymore.” It probably stems from being so tired from your busy life that you think it isn’t worth it. But you know what? Marriage does take work. Every day. It is always a little bit of give and take. It’s always compromise. And marriage is ALWAYS worth it. Your spouse is always worth it. Sometimes you need to look back to the days when you first met and when you were dating. Remember how you felt when you were first falling in love? Grab that feeling. Explore that feeling a little – your spouse is still the same person you fell in love with all those years ago. They aren’t going to be perfect. But if you are in a committed relationship, then you are committed to not look for perfection in someone else.

Want to know a little secret about a good marriage? Your spouse gets even better over the years. My husband is not the man I married. I desperately loved him then – I could not wait to be his wife. But that guy back then had some flaws that he worked out. No, that we worked out together. I am sure that I am the same. I know I had some flaws too (like those anger issues – just ask him about that mirror I threw at him in our first year of marriage. Phew! But that is another story for another day!) But I will tell you my husband is more mature, more responsible, more loving, more kind, more gentle, more wise and more godly than he was when we got married 12 years ago. So much better. And I love him more.

Did you catch that? 12 years. We have been married for 12 years. It shouldn’t seem like a huge milestone. BUT IT IS. Right now? In this day and age – 12 years is amazing. So many people don’t make it to five years, let alone ten.

Just…try. Fight. Work on it. Love each other deeply. Don’t be afraid to get hurt – and apologize when you hurt each other. Make love, and lots of it. (Yeah, I said it!) Work through the hard things together. Celebrate when good things happen. Cry together when bad things happen. Pray a lot. God is right there with you in the middle of it all. He’s not distant. He’s fighting along side you. He is there when you are celebrating. He is there when  you are crying. He is there when you are feeling desperate. He knows. We had our wedding rings engraved – and inside of my husband’s ring it says “Marriage takes three. God, and you, and me.” It really and truly does.

If you have been divorced, this is not meant to make you feel ashamed. This is not meant to make you feel broken. This is meant to encourage you in your current marriage – or to give you hope for a future one.

Fight for love. Love each other. And don’t give up. Marriage is not something you should take lightly. It really and truly is a gift. Don’t throw it away! Cherish it. It’s sacred.

I often have people comment on my life. It is just something people do these days. Granted, it is much easier to do these days the way that social media is. We truly share everything about our lives on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and wherever else it can be shared. It is not a bad thing to share. Perhaps sometimes we share too much. Maybe other times, not enough.

These days people are commenting on how hard my life is. They wonder how I get through life. They wonder if I am depressed. They wonder if I hide behind a smile. Today, I am going to set the record straight.

I am a happy girl.

My Mom and I were chatting when we were in one of the garden shops searching for plants. Since she doesn’t see me often, it hits her harder every time she sees me – I think she feels responsible for my lipedema. Yes, it is hereditary – but she can not control genetics any more than I can. This particular hot day I was reaching for a beautiful flower that burst of colour. A single beautiful coral flower, shining in the sun. As I freed it from the tangles of the other plants, my Mom said, “that flower is so you – bright and happy and beautiful.” It warmed my heart.

Later, as we were driving home to plant that beauty, our conversation once again turned to the circumstances of my life. She mentioned that my load seems particularly heavy (and she wasn’t just talking about my body!) She was talking about how I face every day life as a disabled Mom with two special needs sons. Yes, life is difficult. But one thing she said stood out in my mind and heart that day – and has the past few weeks. She said, “your whole life has been full of challenges that you should not have had to face. But you have a beautiful life. And you have always been so happy.”

“My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.” Psalm 73:26

“My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.” Psalm 119:71-72.

My least favourite time of year is on the horizon. Sure, I enjoy the summer heat and sunshine as much as the next person. I love sitting on the deck in the backyard reading a book and sipping iced tea while the kids play in the yard. My back deck is a safe place where I am not noticed by anyone other than those who know and love me. Other than those I am comfortable with. Those who don’t think of me as dinosaur leg lady, but just a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend.

The rest of the world? That’s the tricky part. You see, my kids love to swim and so do I. We don’t have our own pool, though, so we have to use the community pool. I try my hardest not to care what others think and don my pretty bathing suit so I can make memories with my children. But the gasps and the unkind words sting so much that each year, it becomes harder and harder to be joyful and willing. There are not enough beach wraps in the world to cover up the hurt.

I try not to think about it too much. But I know it is coming. It becomes harder and harder to endure and my heart becomes more and more weary of this world. Let’s be real. I often ask, why me God?

One day, sitting in a church service and reflecting on the message, God whispered a small but powerful message to my heart. God gave me lipedema so He could be glorified through my life. My actions, reactions, thoughts and ways need to reflect that honour. 

Suddenly, my perspective changed. This was not a plan for disaster. This was actually God breathing meaning into my life – this was using my suffering for good. It was like scales fell from my eyes. Like chains broke away from my heart.

I finally understood what James meant when he said, “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4).

God chose me. He picked ME. For some reason, He thought I was worthy of this task. Lipedema is known to be hereditary and passed down through women, and as such, of all the women in my family this could affect, He chose ME. For His glory.

This is real. This is God. Shaping me, moulding me, refining me to the point where I am complete and needing nothing. And when I have reached that point, He will take me home.

Heaven.

A place where there will be no more tears. No more pain. And no more dinosaur legs. My bones won’t hurt. My joints won’t snap and pop every step I take.

Friends, I will run into the arms of Jesus. Running, with perfect legs. Running like I have never been able to run before. And when I reach that place, when I am in His arms, I will know this has all been worth it.

Have you ever felt like God was calling you out of your comfort zone? It doesn’t always have to be something drastic or life altering as a move to Africa or somewhere else to become a missionary – although those are the most obvious examples. Sometimes it is much smaller. So much so that it doesn’t seem like anything at all.

It starts as a tiny whisper. A little bit of something niggling in your soul. Because it is so small it can sometimes be ignored. Pushed down an forgotten about. It is easy to not give it a second thought. Or so we assume. But God has a way of making waves with that tiny whisper that can rock your very core.

Like that time I was at church waiting for the service to start. As I looked around, I thought about how much I really loved the people that called this church their home. Wonderful, amazing people. But there was that tiny whisper. A tiny whisper that said it was time to find another place to worship.

What? No…that couldn’t possibly be right. As the service started, I pushed it down deep and joined in the singing.  This continued each week and each time the whisper became more noticeable and a lot louder. Finally, it was roaring like a lion. I couldn’t stop thinking about what once was a whisper.  Filled with discontent and despair, I turned to my husband for guidance.

Sometimes not everyone hears the tiny whisper at the same time. So I tried to stuff it down deeper. Surely, God didn’t intend for us to go to different churches. What was going on?

I will tell you what was going on – several months of suffering. Why was God whispering this to me when he wasn’t whispering it to my husband? What did He want me to do about it? It was a desperate place of loneliness and despair. Almost like a spiritual wasteland – but not really. Because during that suffering, He was just pouring into my soul.

There is this beautiful place between suffering and comfort where you meet God. It is described perfectly in 2 Corinthians 1:3-6. “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. Even when you are weighed down with troubles, it is for your own comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer.”

In this period of waiting and discontent, I experienced His comfort. I didn’t understand His plan or what that meant for the future. I just knew He loved me and would comfort me in this time, while still I experienced these feelings of discontent. And that second roar? It was loud enough to reach both my heart and my husband’s. Then everything changed in an instant.

Not everyone appreciates change. We get comfortable and happy and we don’t want to leave that behind for a different, more difficult journey. But we have to go where God is taking us next – even if that means heartbreaking changes.

It is hard to let go of something you love and people who hold special places in your heart. Thinking about it made me want to take that roaring whisper back and shove it down deep into the recesses of my soul. To pour cement over my feet so they couldn’t move. But God would move them – and we must be obedient. James 4:17 says, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”

Obedience is not always easy. Walking through the unmarked path can be the most challenging thing you have ever done. Like wading through a deep jungle where unrest was at every corner. But the destination at the end of that unmarked path is so glorious we can’t even fathom it.

My husband is a runner. He loves to run. Me? Not so much. But I can still appreciate the analogy that life is a race. An exciting race from the start when we are saved from sin because of Christ – to the beautiful end when we cross the finish line and are no longer separated from God. When my husband runs in a race, he runs slowly at first and then gains momentum as he goes along – and when the finish line is in his line of sight, he runs hard to finish strong. There are two beautiful verses in the Bible that illustrate this for us.

Let’s take a look at Hebrews 12:1-2. It says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this  by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” When my husband started running, he joined up with a learn to run program. He learned how to run and enjoyed it, but then he lost momentum when he didn’t have anyone keeping him accountable. He ran here and there, but not regularly as he had hoped. Until he joined another running group that not only kept him accountable to his exercise regime, but his faith as well. He runs regularly with this group now, and those who are more advanced take time to instruct and encourage him as he presses on. This passage in Hebrews is similar in that it is Jesus Christ himself who is the champion runner – not only does He go before us in this race called life, He knows us intimately and is the only One who can equip us for what is to come.

The next verse is in 2 Corinthians 4:18. “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now, rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” Okay, back to that jungle path. We can’t see the magnificent ending that awaits us. All we can see are the twists and turns that are ahead of us in the here and now. All we can feel is the heartache and discontent that comes with suffering. But if we fix our gaze on Jesus, and we strive for obedience to God calling us out of our comfort zones, the path gets a little bit easier. There might be a beautiful grove where we can stop for a refreshing drink and rest. Even if it just for a moment.

When my husband heard that whisper we decided to look for a different church. Even though I was in agreement, I cried myself to sleep that night. Why? The thought of leaving behind my friends was more than I could take. So many people I loved who I would have to leave. It might seem a bit ridiculous – just because you leave a church doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends with your fellow believers. While that is true, the dynamic does change. I am not going to tell you it is hunky dory – it isn’t. People have been hurt along the way. It was never our intention for that to happen, but it does. I only pray that God will soothe their hurts so we can heal. While I love my friends and value their relationships, I value my relationship with Jesus even more.

What started as a tiny whisper was now a full blown reality. We visited different churches, and didn’t feel at peace. It was strange to be in the car and driving in a different direction than we had the last decade. I wondered if we could have made a mistake – maybe we didnlt hear God’s call clearly. I thought those thoughts, but knew in my soul they were not true.

Romans 15:13 says, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” When I read this verse and shared it with my husband, we prayed for His peace when we visited the church where He wanted us to go. We prayed for that confident hope – and He was faithful to provide that for us. The first morning we attended our current church, a sense of peace washed over me and settled in my soul. I felt refreshed and wanted to know if my husband felt the same. After the service, when we got in the car and looked at each other and said, “I think this is it.”

What was once a tiny whisper turned into a mighty roar that rocked our souls and was replaced with a confident hope. We attended a few services to be sure and received confirmation after confirmation that was where He was calling us.

Stepping out of our comfort zone wasn’t easy. It is called a comfort zone for a reason – because when you leave it is uncomfortable. It was painful. It was heartbreaking. But God leads. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” Philippians 2:13

The lingering heartache we have leaving behind our comfort zone – Jesus sees. He sees the tears that fall. He sees the people who avoid you in the grocery store because they don’t know what to say. We just need to trust Him to cover these things. 1 Peter 5 says, “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you.”

And when the jungle path starts to get easier to tread, you see a sunrise. A new horizon that brings the promise of a new day. Eventually this uncomfortable obedience will become your new comfort zone. If God calls you out of that one, and you are obedient, you might go through it all over again. But when you continue to obey God’s leading, one day that sunrise will be more glorious than ever before. As you come out of the jungle path and are standing in His brilliant presence, you are finally home.

We can learn a lot from the Isrealites. If you had told me I would be writing about the Isrealites a few years ago, I would have laughed at you. Truth is, I didn’t read my Bible enough. If we are being honest, not only was the Old Testament foreign to me, it was also…boring. There, I said it.

Sure, we might know the age old Bible stories of the Old Testament with notable characters like Noah, Moses, Joshua, and Daniel. I have read these stories to my children. In Bible story books, these guys always make the cut and are given several pages in technicolour. If you grew up going to church you may remember these stories presented on die hard flannel graphs. (I say die hard because a few years ago the church I attended at the time packed up all their flannel characters and flannel boards and sent them off to Africa and they looked as if they were in the same condition they had been in back in 1970s.) But what but the rest of these stories? The lesser known stories of the Old Testament and what we can learn about them are great in numbers. (Ha! See what I did there?)While the stories are numerous, we really need to take a step back and look at the Isrealites as a whole.

I used to hate History. In fact, I was failing it way back in middle school and my parents bribed me with the prospect of new shoes if only I could get a B. It must have worked, because I ended up getting an A and two pairs of shoes. And I also ended up realizing something about History that was a game changer for me. History really is just all about people and how they lived. History is important because we need to learn from their mistakes and successes and grow and change as needed. So let’s take a good look at a really old group of people and see what we can learn.

The Isrealites. To begin with their story we need to look at one man named Abraham. We first see Abraham in Genesis 11. Way back in the beginning – and he had a different name, Abram. In the beginning of chapter 12, we see Abram being called by God. Abram hears God telling him to leave everything behind and go to a place where He will show him. All of his relatives, all of his possessions – everything. And Abram does just that. One of the things we can learn about Abraham specifically is that he always trusted God and did as He was asked. God could see this and wanted to give Abraham a gift, and not just his new name. In Genesis 5:15, God promises to give Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars. He started with a son named Isaac who had a son named Jacob who was the father of 12 different sons who formed 12 different tribes that made up the nation of Isreal. The twelve sons were Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Isaachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. (Genesis 35:25-26).

So that is the history behind how Isreal came to be. Their story really begins with the brothers turning against their younger brother Joseph, which you can read about here. This leads them to Egypt, where things go well for a time. At the time of Joseph’s death, there are a lot more than just the 12 brothers. Exodus 1:6-7 says, “in time Joseph and all of his brothers died ending that generation. But their descendants, the Isrealites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly they became extremely powerful and filled the land.” We are not talking about a small group of people here. We are talking a huge number. Eventually a new king came to power in Egypt. Long gone was Joseph and the great things he had done for the king and all of Egypt. Long passed were the days where that mattered. The new king was not a fan of these Isrealite intruders who were taking up so much space in his land, so he made them slaves.

Here is the first stage of suffering for the Isrealites. They were treated harshly. Pharoah felt threatened by them and their numbers and hoped slavery would keep them from multiplying, but it didn’t. Exodus 1:20 it says “God was good to the midwives and the Isrealites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful.” Let’s not miss this. The Isrealites were loved by a very powerful God. He had a plan for them. Even in this time where they had to endure the physical pain of heavy labour, building entire cities with their hands. Even when they were beaten by the Egyptians and forced to endure more than they thought they could bear. God still had a plan.

He sent Moses. Moses was born at a time when the king of Egypt wanted all the Isrealite babies to be killed to stop the nation from growing any further. His mother, wanting to protect him made a basket and placed it in the water. It was no mistake that it was Pharoah’s own daughter who discovered the little baby in the water. God had a plan. She took him in and raised him as her own. He grew up in a life of privilege. Then one day, when he was an adult he looked out over the Isrealite slaves and couldn’t stand to see them beaten so he killed one of the Egyptians who had been beating an Isrealite slave. He then fled Egypt, afraid for his life. But God called to him in hiding and told him he would be the one to lead them out of slavery.

A time of redemption for the Isrealites when God used plagues to convict Pharoah to let His people go. The amazing account of how God split the sea in two so they could cross. Let’s just pause for a minute there and think about how it would have felt to be an Isrealite that day walking on dry ground with walls of water on either side. How it must have felt to know God was showing His love and care in such an amazing way. Not only that, but they they left with many riches. Talk about an amazing deliverance! Sadly, it didn’t take long for the Isrealites to forget.

Here is another period of suffering for the Isrealites. After being freed from the hold of the Egyptians, they were brought through to a period in the wilderness. But before we get into that story, let’s look at something very important here. God gave this decree to the Isrealites as a standard to test their faithfulness to them.

“If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.” Exodus 15:26

God wanted the Isrealites to obey them. He was leading them to a wonderful place – a land flowing with milk and honey. A beautiful place where the land was prosperous. A place that was GOOD. A place that He had promised to Abraham’s descendants in Genesis 24:7. These were a people that God loved with all of His heart, that are called “God’s chosen people.” In Exodus 22:33, God calls them to be a holy people. This doesn’t mean they were to be perfect, because we will see they are not. This call to holiness is more a call to be devoted to God with their whole hearts.

And here is where we need to take a good, long look at the Isrealites and see the root of their suffering and what we can learn from it.  After their period in the wilderness, the descendants of these people enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.

Here Isreal is given the land they were promised, divided up between the tribes descending from Jacob’s twelve sons. But is everything good? No. The Isrealites are given the land, but it wasn’t empty. Thus begins the wars that must happen for them to be victorious and claim the land.  Before they entered the Promised Land, Moses blessed them. Just before he dies, he gives has a song about how the Isrealites will prosper in the land. He reminds them of the covenants God has made for them, the ten commandments, everything they have learned as they journeyed through the wilderness. Exodus 32:45-47 says, “When Moses had finished reciting all of these words to the people of Isreal, he added: Take to heart all the words of warning I have given to you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. These instructions are not empty words – they are your life! By obeying them you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy when you cross the Jordan river.”

It was very clear these instructions that God have given the Isrealites. They entered the land excited for what was to come. I like to think they were on fire with devotion for God, the One who had led them through this time of wandering and living in tents. They must have been excited to receive this blessing of occupying cities and establishing themselves, settling down. But how quickly things get into a jumbled mess.

The Isrealites biggest problem was this – they occupied the lands but didn’t get rid of all of the gods of the people who were living there before them. Instead of worshipping the One true God, they ended up participating in acts of worship with these people. They repeatedly did this. In Judges 21:25, it says “in those days Isreal had no king, all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”

Okay, let’s be honest. When I read those words they send a chill right through me. They might as well be prophetic. Let’s fast forward to today. Read this again in a different way – in those days, the world had no King, all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Doesn’t that seem to be the case in the world today?

The Isrealites struggled with getting caught up in other pagan traditions and idol worship. God would send someone to show them the wrong in their ways. They would cry out to God for forgiveness and ask for His help. He would do this for them. Then they would repeat the cycle. How much are we like the Isrealites?

I am going to be bold here and say that some of the Isrealites suffering was a direct result of their sinfulness. Sin is anything that separates us from God. Anything that is not pleasing to God. Now let’s take a step back and look at it in today’s light. I am going to be bold here and say that some of our own suffering is a direct result of our own sinfulness.

Ouch. Might be a little bit painful, but it is true. God wants His people to be holy – to be fully devoted to Him. And anything that we prioritize over Him is considered a god to us. Anything. This is going to hurt, but consider this short list – money, television, sports, creative arts, music. Anything.

I have struggled with this. I know we all do because of who we are. But the beautiful truth? Because of who God is He offers us a freedom from sins and a promise of a fresh start every day and every single moment of our lives. And not only that, we are also loved by the same God who desperately loved the Isrealites. Let’s step away from the Old Testament and look at this beautiful hope in Romans 8:38-39.

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death, nor life, neither angels, nor demons, neither our fears for today or our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or on the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Suffering is sometimes brought on by our own sinfulness. By our lack of God in our lives. Please note I am not saying this is the only reason we experience suffering – I know that is not the case. Still, it stands that we need to continually evaluate where we place God in our lives.  We need to continually throw off things of the world that we may be making a priority. That short list? Those things are not sinful in and of themselves. But when we put these things before the Lord, we begin with a slippery slope that can bring us further and further away from the One who loves us the most.

The Isrealites are a good example of both of these things – the sinful suffering, the slippery slope and also the God who loved them through it all and gave them countless second chances. We can learn from their stories that God continually took their suffering and changed it for good – offering them freedom and hope. God will do this for us as well. When we continually seek Him, we receive the peace and release from suffering that we long for.

So seek Christ. Seek Him in your time of suffering. Sometimes these places where you feel farthest away from Him are where He chooses to speak. Where He reveals Himself and allows us to see things the way He sees things. Then you can throw off the things that are not in line with His will and you can find the rest and release you long for.