How A Mess Can Become Your Message

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Posted by Pat Elsberry, March 14, 2023

Have you ever asked yourself, why me? Perhaps you’ve wondered why your life has unfolded like it has. Do you feel as if your life is a hot mess?

Maybe you looked around, and everyone seemed to be living their best life–except you. I’m not suggesting we begin a pity party or have a woe-is-me attitude, but I think these are all typical questions and feelings if you’re walking through a challenging time in life. It wasn’t that many years ago when I was first walking through the grief journey, that I asked myself all these questions and felt this same way.

There are times when life is hard, such as when you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, suffered a job loss, or perhaps a diagnosis that has pulled the rug out from under your feet. It is normal to feel as if your life is a total mess. Friend, if you can just hold on for a little bit longer, I believe this mess can one day be turned into your message.

When my daughter first ran ahead to heaven, I asked God, "Why me, Lord? Why Melanie?" I always returned to the one thing I knew to be true: my ultimate faith and trust in Jesus.

I also knew I didn’t see the whole picture of this life of mine

I needed to trust in the One who does know the end from the beginning.

Trust in the Lord from the bottom of your heart;

Don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

He’s the one who will keep you on track.

Don’t assume that you know it all. (Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG)

Years ago, someone once told me, “Pat, it’s like you have a black cloud hanging over your head.” Although it wasn’t meant to be hurtful, I don’t think they knew how those words stung. Interestingly, I didn’t think I had a black cloud hanging over my head, it was just a hard season. It’s called life, and God never promised us a carefree one.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33 NIV)

As I walk through the grief journey, I see that grief and joy can live side-by-side. I’m learning something new every day, and slowly, God is turning my mess into a message for Him.

I don’t know the circumstances surrounding your life and how you’re feeling today, but I believe we still serve a good God even during the trials and turmoil of life. Although we may not know or understand His plan, I’m confident He has one that is good for you and me.

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT)

In the words of Katherine Wolf, we can live a “good-hard life.” Every cloud–even black ones, has a silver lining.

I’m grateful that even during my grief, I still have a very blessed life. With God leading the way, He can turn some of the sadness of losing my girl into words of encouragement and hope for someone else.

If you’re struggling today and wondering "why me?", I encourage you to hold on.

God can and will turn your mess into a message for Him.

He will use your story to reach someone else who is hurting. He isn’t done with you yet! Take a moment to let the words to this song wash over you. (Click here.)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 ESV)

Father, thank you for the reminder that you never promised us a carefree life. I am so grateful I have placed my whole heart and trust in you. Thank you for turning my mess into a message that shines a light on your goodness.

Pat Elsberry is an author, speaker, blogger, and a passionate advocate for parents dealing with grief after the loss of a child. Pat created multiple social media groups focused on providing hope to others who are walking the same path, including her blog, Hope During Loss. Pat facilitates an in-person grief share for women who have experienced child loss, and is also a moderator for Team Sharing, a nationwide peer-led support group for parents who have lost children to substance use disorder. Pat is the author of Beautifully Broken: Finding Hope During Loss, and will soon release her first devotional, Comforted by God. Pat and her husband, Fred live outside Atlanta and have a blended family of 7 children and 5 grandchildren. Her favorite things include traveling, cooking, gardening, dark chocolate, and worship music. You can find Pat on her blog, www.hopeduringloss.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @HopeDuringLoss.

I'm Full

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Posted by Annette Burrell, March 7, 2023

Have you ever said the words “I’m full” after eating a meal? Most of us have—especially during a holiday. We see the meal spread out before us, and we have a hard time deciding what we want. So, we get a little bit of everything. Then, when someone asks if we’ve had enough, we hear ourselves say, “I’m full.” Or, better yet, “I’m stuffed.” God wants us to have that same delight in Him. He doesn’t want us to feast on just a few samplings of Him.

He wants us to experience all His fullness.

Just over ten years ago, I had a Holy Ghost moment. I was at a Christian concert, and through worship, testimonies, and the living Word, I felt the Holy Spirit descend upon me. I had received Him in my heart since the day of my salvation, but I had not made room for Him to abide there. Some months later, in Sunday School, other classmates were in a deep discussion of what the scriptures said about defending the gospel. The words were going right over my head. I hardly understood anything they were saying. I felt so out of place and embarrassed that I could not contribute to the discussion.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3:

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit, but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

Ouch! That hurt, but it described me to a “T.” I may not have understood the physics being taught in the apologetics class, but I understood that I was a mere infant in Christ. Very soon after my realization that I was surviving on “spiritual milk”, I began to hunger for more. I enrolled in a Bible study and started my journey toward the fullness of God.

Jamie Adele Wood says in her Bible study, Flourish:

These Christians were acting and living just like the world and, therefore, could not understand or digest the spiritual riches of God’s Word.

In my case, I was chewing on bits and pieces of God’s word mixed in with what the world savors. I was missing out on the spiritual riches of God’s Word. The more I read and studied His word, the more I saw His love for me.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says:

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

The first three verses of 1 Corinthians are often left out of sermons or teachings on God’s love, but I like to read them and reflect on where I once was. It’s not out of shame or regret as Satan would have me think. It’s a gentle reminder of where I could be again, if I reverted to my worldly ways. Milk does not fill me up, nor does it satisfy me anymore. I need meat.

My desire is for the fullness of God.

The fullness of God is the totality of everything God is.

The fullness of God is His complete nature. It is who God is, Jesus in the flesh.A deep dive into His attributes would help us to understand more of His fullness. That’s a challenge for us for another day.

Isaiah 61:10 says:

I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Psalm 37:4 says:

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

My delight is in the Lord today. I will feast on God’s word. I am satisfied. I will never be full. I will never be stuffed, though that is my desire; to be in God’s fullness.

How about you? Are you hungry for more of God? Do you long to be in the fullness of God? I know I do.

Blessings my sisters!

Annette Burrell is an author, speaker, and singer/songwriter. Through Annette’s years of being a public servant, and her devotion to studying the Bible, God has equipped her to lead women into His presence, and share with them how they can grow in Christ. Her passion is learning, sharing about the Heavenly realms, and God’s plan of protection for us as believers.

See A Victory

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Posted by Erin Roberson, February 27, 2023

Can you think of a time when you tried to “fix” a situation, and it didn’t turn out well?

On the flip side, can you think of a time when you turned a situation over to God, stepped back, and allowed Him to handle the situation? Was the result different?

I remember when my husband and I attended a large Good Friday gathering in Atlanta. We had never attended this event before, and we didn’t know exactly what to expect. Traffic leading to the amphitheater where the event was being held, was very heavy. We had purchased a ticket in advance, and we were assigned a designated parking area. We entered the address of the parking lot into our GPS; however, the city had blocked off certain roads to control the traffic. Apparently our GPS did not know this important fact, because it kept sending us to roads that were not accessible. The longer we struggled to get to our parking lot, the more frustrated I became. We were going to be late to the event, and there was no chance we were going to snag good seats.

As I became increasingly agitated, my wise husband said, “Maybe there are people ahead of us who need to get in there and hear the truth more than we do.” What a great perspective! Rather than being upset about the situation, he chose to allow God to handle the situation and work it out. Guess what. We finally found our parking lot, and we hardly missed anything at all!

You know the story of the battle of Jericho. (Sing along with me, children!) Armed men marched around Jericho once a day for six days followed by seven priests each blowing a trumpet. The priests carrying the Ark of the Lord came next, and the rear guard completed the procession. The only noise permitted was the sound of the trumpets.

On the seventh day, the procession marched around the city seven times, the priests gave one long blast on the trumpets, and the marchers all shouted. It’s interesting to note that the horns used by the priests were the ones used to announce a celebration, not the ones used to declare war!

God caused the walls to fall down, so the soldiers could easily enter the city.

I try to imagine myself as an Israelite who is hearing about this plan. What would I be thinking? I think my immediate response would be, “This is the most ridiculous plan I’ve ever heard. This will never work! We’re going to be a laughing stock.”

What can we learn from the battle of Jericho?

• God’s ways don’t always make sense to us.

• We have to be committed to God’s plan, even when it doesn’t seem to be working.

• When we let God be in control, He’s probably going to “win” in unexpected ways. (Who would have thought God would win a battle with marching, musical instruments, and shouting?)

• God’s power far exceeds our limited imaginations.

• God always knows what He will do. Our job is to wait for Him to tell us all that we need to know and then obey it.

• God doesn’t work within our timelines. We have to practice patience while God is working. God is never in a hurry!

• God doesn’t need us, but He lets us participate.

• We are not strong, but God is. God uses people who appear to be “unworthy” by the world’s standards. God seems to enjoy using weakness and plans that appear foolish to bring glory to His name. When we think of ourselves as strong, we get overconfident and fail. Instead, we must remember to give God the glory in all things!

• Rather than telling God what we want, we should remain open to any plan that God has for us. In our own lives, we may not capture cities as Joshua did, but we face enemies and high walls that challenge us. We must accept those challenges and trust God to guide us.

If God is guaranteed to win every battle, why do we insist on fighting our battles on our own? Why do we ask God to take control of situations in our lives, but we continuously take back control and try to handle it ourselves? Why do we try to tell God what WE want Him to do?

You may have heard it said, “God helps those who help themselves,” but this philosophy is not supported by scripture. I can think of several practical examples where we might want to see a victory, but we’re hesitant to completely turn the situation over to God, and allow Him to solve it in His way.

• We see our children headed down the wrong path.

• A family member or co-worker says negative things about us.

• We’re struggling to make ends meet financially.

• We’re fighting battles against temptations that just won’t go away.

• We have uncertainty about a big decision.

• We’re concerned about decisions being made by those in control at our work or in our communities.

What about those times when it doesn’t look like God is “winning?” For example, why does God heal some people, and not others? Why do good people suffer? How can we continue to trust God, and allow Him to control every situation–even when it appears that evil is winning?

• Submit all desires and plans to God.

• Pray!

• Remind ourselves of the promises given to us in scripture. (Check these out for starters: John 16:33, Col. 2:13-15, John 12:31, Matt. 4:1-11, Matt. 12:22-29, Eph. 1:19-23, Rom. 8:31, 2 Chron. 16:9)

• Listen to the Holy Spirit.

• Allow God to use us in any way He desires to accomplish His plan.

We have three choices about how we live our lives:

1. Make the best plans we can and hope they succeed.

2. Make our own plans and ask God to bless them.

3. Ask God for His plans, and then do what He tells us to do.

Joshua made the third choice, and He was witness to an amazing victory!

During your worship time this week, check out these songs. They will remind you to trust God for victory in every situation!

See a Victory

You Can Do All Things

(Surrounded) This is How I Fight My Battles

Erin Roberson is a wife and mother of two wonderful grown boys. She is a lifelong educator who loves learning and teaching others. She believes our primary focus should be on our relationship with God, learning who God is, who God says we are, and how God wants us to live.