John 16:20-21, “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.” (NIV)
I love these verses because Jesus tells His disciples that they will encounter difficulty on earth, but their troubles won’t last forever. Jesus likens it to a woman who bears a child. She succumbs to pain and physical scars (stretch marks) for a period, then once her child has reached full term, she gives birth. Every mother can attest to how even though the pain they’ve endured was excruciating, once they see their child, all they experience is joy! What must we learn here? Consider your current discomfort as the process to build your character, a preparation for what is to come. God is the Potter, and He’s molding you into His likeness. Think of when a potter is given clay. At first, it’s just a pile of clay that doesn’t seem to be anything special. But when the potter begins to work on that clay, it’s stretched and pressed on the sides by the hands of the potter, and when the potter gets done molding the clay, how beautiful does it look? You almost can’t imagine that it was ever not beautiful.
In our case, God is developing us for our breakthrough or for our purpose. We often hear the saying, right before your breakthrough comes your darkest hour. According to the verses, as Christians, we will experience pain and weep, but our deliverance is right around the corner. When we arrive at our final destination, we may not get there unscathed, but those scars will serve as a reminder of where God has taken us from. They will help us to remember to give God the glory because only He could have gotten us through that circumstance – hallelujah! As my father always says when we’re going through a hard time, “Remember, one day this will all be past tense.” And he isn’t lying, for the Word of God promises His children, “Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
So, I’ll leave you with this verse for meditation. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Dear Father, though my present circumstances may be hard to endure, help me to remember that you are carrying me through and molding me into the person You desire me to be. Help me to rejoice always, in everything, knowing that my breakthrough is on the way and that it’s all for a greater purpose. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!
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