Life has been quite interesting, to say the least. I’ve found myself waiting for the hidden cameras to pop out because I just know I’m on an episode of Punk’d. Remember that show? They still haven’t come out of hiding yet, so I’m guessing this is real life.

Reality and what I imagined life would be are currently completely different. I believe they may have gotten mixed up on the spectrum lol. It’s all good though.

Y’all, life happens. Hard times happen. Seasons of disappointment happen. Seasons of heartbreak happen. Seasons of misfortune happen. Seasons of health woes happen. Hashtag all the seasons happen. And sometimes, they happen all at once. And that’s often when it’s most difficult to wrap our minds around it all.

Personally, I’ve found myself asking God a few times, “Can you help me understand these seasons? Do you really believe I’m strong enough to keep enduring? Back to back to back? Couldn’t we have broken these happenings up over a few years, or decades, just not allowed them all at the same time?” Just all the questions.

Growing up I was told to never question God. But I’ve learned over time for myself that God doesn’t mind our questions. He actually welcomes them, simply because He loves hearing from and communing with us. No, we shouldn’t question His goodness or even His plans, but it’s okay to ask for help in understanding a season that our minds can’t quite comprehend. Just know that He wouldn’t allow the seasons if He didn’t think we could bare them. And they’re not for us to carry anyway, that’s His job and He delights in doing so.

He’s making us into new wine, and the crushing oftentimes hurts. Really no fancy way to put it. It just hurts. But what it will ultimately produce will be worth it. Worth the pain, worth the disappointment, worth the wait, worth the weight.

Yes, worth the W E I G H T. The pressure is creating in you something that all the rainbows and sunshine simply cannot. What’s being birthed in you can only come from experiencing heavy seasons. In the gym weights build strength and strength builds muscles. The exact same for you and for me. Our muscles are being built. You may not be able to see it just yet, but I see your muscles peeking through. I see ya. Uh oh now.

I know you may be uncomfortable. I know it may hurt. I know you may feel lost and just out of touch with it all. But know this, God knows what He’s doing. He knows what it requires to produce what He desires in us. He’s a Father, a good one. And good Fathers would never intentionally hurt their children, but they will allow certain things to help them grow and develop. He sees your potential and He knows just the right touch to help get you where you’re headed.

You are not forgotten. You are simply under construction. You are developing in silence. You are becoming in the wilderness. You are rising in the crushing.

Every page in our stories has a purpose. Every. Single. One. No matter where you find yourself today, be encouraged. Don’t give up. You can make it through this. You WILL make it through this.

Friend, this is temporary and not your permanent home. You are simply passing through. God is still writing your story, and there are so many beautiful pages to come. Oh goodness, so many.

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“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:29,31

Life has been challenging lately for many of us. I know all too well the feelings of why isn’t this working? What am I doing wrong? Why haven’t all these things I put my energy into not lined up by now?

Those feelings leave us wanting to work harder, strive more, do #allthethings just so we can feel this sense of accomplishment, this sense of purpose. We want to prove to ourselves that we are in fact good enough, smart enough, and capable enough. Shucks, we just want to feel good. Good about ourselves. Good about what we’re doing. Good about our world. We strive, then strive some more. We work tirelessly because we’ve always been told, “Hard work pays off.”

But at what point do we realize it’s not in the striving, but in the resting. I’m not saying be lazy and quit everything. But when do we rest? That real rest. That rest that goes hand in hand with trust. That rest that allows us to sleep at night in spite of our circumstances. That rest that separates our self worth from our net worth. That rest that says I am enough even when I don’t feel enough.

I’m not sure about you, but I know for me that rest only comes when I sit with Jesus. I’ve done my share of striving, reaching, trying, climbing, striving some more. Done my share of wheel spinning, only to end up in the same spot. I’ve tried to make things happen in my power and my strength. I may have gained a little ground, but I really went nowhere.

I realize more and more it’s not in the striving, but in the resting, the waiting, the accepting, the letting go, the holding on, the trusting that real progress happens. Friend, listen. I get it. Trust me, I do. It’s one of the most frustrating seasons of life because you can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong and everyone else is doing right. It’s not a comparison thing, just a “I guess I didn’t get the memo. What do I need to adjust? What do I need to tweak? What exactly am I doing wrong?”

Can I tell you something? You are right where you’re supposed to be at this given moment. Probably not what you wanted to read. Yeah, me neither. But it’s the truth. The Orchestrator of Life orchestrated this season for me and you. I’d like to think we were handpicked for the challenges, for the not knowing, for the times of confusion because with these seasons come new strength, new endurance, new clarity, new life.

Just in case you need to be reminded, you are not a screw up. You are not a waste of space. You are not a failure. You are not less than. Actually, you’re quite the opposite….

You are strong. You are resilient. You are needed. You are wanted. You are enough. Always have been. Always will be.

God’s growing your roots underground right now. Flowers are beautiful, loved, and admired. But flowers don’t last long. On the other hand, trees? Trees grow in stature, but it takes some time. They withstand lots of things. They’ve been roughed up, but they’re still there. They have stories to tell that will pass from generation to generation. They produce fruit, over and over and over again.

You don’t have to strive anymore. Just rest, knowing that you’re being made in the waiting. Your roots are growing deeper and deeper. And one day, suddenly, you will rise.