Sometimes I wish my son still saw me like he used to... the SuperDad who could do, basically... anything. But if that's how he still saw me, I couldn't speak to him like a man. He wouldn't ask the complicated questions or challenge me in conversations where we talk about the things that matter most in life.
Sometimes I wish my daughter didn't have to deal with the aftermath of a trauma that changed how she lives her life. But without that moment, she wouldn't have a deeper understanding and empathy for those who seem fine on the surface but are struggling like crazy underneath, doing their best to stay afloat. Neither would I.
Sometimes I lament my past and the choices I made (or didn't when I should have). But I don't linger there because I know my present is so much better. I am reminded, from a lyric of a new favorite song by Cain entitled "Keep Following"...
I had to go there... to get here.
If I hadn't lost my job... I probably wouldn't have written a book. If I hadn't lost my way... I might not have hit rock bottom. If I didn't drink the bitter waters of self-satisfaction, I couldn't know the sweetness that only He can bring and if I hadn't been so low I couldn't see the light, I likely would never know just how high He would be willing to lift me. I had to go there to get here. So here's my encouragement to you today...
Wherever you find yourself on this Saturday, take a second to thank Him for the ways He can reshape the hard stuff of your life into something really, really good. Thank Him for the knowledge that He knows your past struggles and pain... He holds you in this present moment, giving you the strength, comfort and confidence to live in line with Him... and know He has for you a promise that nothing else can give.
Your Past. Your Present. His Promise. He knows them all and He holds them all and He wants nothing more than for you to give them all to Him.
"... as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'" 1 Corinthians 2:9
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