I honestly couldn’t believe it when I watched my friend dip her french fries in ice cream one day when we had lunch together. I gasped, “Oh my gosh, that looks disgusting!” Of course she countered with, “Oh it’s not! You have to try it. I know it sounds awful but it’s sooo good!” I guess some things just don’t seem to go together at first glance, they have to be tasted to truly test their grandness.
There are so many things in my life like that right now. Situations and challenges that I thought weren’t related and would only destroy me have actually been the catalyst to create the changes in me that were necessary. They were like french fries and ice cream, one was salty and one was sweet. One was hot and one was cold. Somehow God brought them together at just the right moment and the combination was amazing. They were a paradox. Only God in His wisdom could create something incredible out of two opposite things.
PARADOXES CREATE POSSIBILITIES
The thing about paradoxes is that they create possibilities that did not exist before. When God brings two things together that are total opposites it creates something new. For instance, an oyster combined with sand, an irritant, creates a pearl over a period of time. Diamonds form because of high temperatures and extreme pressure bearing down on coal and eventually creating a reaction between the elements.
What does that look like in our lives? Maybe it’s a difficult, trying situation that you seem to find yourself in, like an unstable marriage. Maybe it looks like a challenging job that seems to never get easier. Maybe your finances seem to always be on the decline no matter how many hours of overtime you get every week. I don’t know what it could be, but it’s possible God is using it to transform you.
ENDURE THE PRESSURE
If you find yourself in a season of paradox, there are some things you can do to keep yourself from going insane. In situations that God is using to mold you, you have to learn to endure. Endurance seems to be a lost art in our drive thru, instant society. No one wants to wait more than 2 minutes at the grocery store, bank line or fast food restaurant. The problem with that is we don’t live in a microwave, results take time. Diamonds take billions of years to form, that is why they are so rare and valuable. We have to learn to appreciate value over convenience. The struggle that we are currently in will not be comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. Endurance is vital to our growth. The best way to endure is to create the habits needed to get the desired result. Instead of focusing on how much we hate this season, how awful it is and how we want to give up, we must begin focusing on changing our habits. Are you communing with the Father every day, or only occasionally? Are you intentionally reading and meditating on the scriptures every day or only every once in a while? You have to focus on the factors that you can control and leave the rest up to God.
The truth is you won’t be able to endure a difficult season without those practices being a part of your life consistently. The pressure will destroy you without the grace needed to endure it.
PRACTICE THE ART OF THANKSGIVING
Remaining thankful in a difficult situation is not easy but it is possible. If we want to get through our most pressing seasons we won’t do it without cultivating a thankful heart. Many of us have trained our brain to see what is wrong with the world. Instead of seeing good things, we look for the negative and dwell on it. We look for the flaw and spend our days complaining about how awful it is. The key to learning to be thankful is becoming aware of how involved God is in our daily lives. We have to realize that whatever we are going through, He allowed it. He must have allowed it for a reason, and it is never for our destruction. What can we learn from it? How can we grow? We can be thankful because we have a Father that loves us enough to tell us no sometimes. He values our growth and development as His child more than our comfort. We can be thankful because our Father isn’t satisfied with us only being a partial representation of our true identity. He knows that beneath our flawed exterior lies a diamond and He won’t stop until He has revealed the beauty that was created within.
ENJOY YOUR LIFE!
Even though our life can be full of pressures, we are still able to enjoy it. Maybe parts of your life are difficult (marriage, job, family struggles, relationship issues, etc.) but must it color your ENTIRE life? One thing I have found that helps is to find adventures that I want to experience. For instance, I’m a songwriter by design so I love to go on songwriting adventures. Not only does it liberate me but it helps to release my emotions. Another adventure I love is to spend the day outside. We have a beautiful walking trail close to my house that relaxes me and helps me unwind. I can experience God through nature. I also love to spend the day shopping, going to the movies and hanging out with my family. Find things that you love to do and do them! Hang out with people that make you laugh and smile a lot! Go get a pedicure, read a book or go to a concert. Find something to remind yourself that not everything in life is a painful experience. If we don’t take the time to re-charge we will run the risk of burnout.
Perspective is everything in difficult seasons of our life. Don’t let the negatives outweigh the positives. Your life is still beautiful even amidst the chaos and pain. God is creating something beautiful out of the mess that will be worth it all.
