No Purpose in the Pit

A beautiful butterfly takes time to develop into the creation we admire.  The little creature catches our eye when fluttering past.  To begin the process, an egg produces a caterpillar.  Synonyms for caterpillar include worm, maggot, larva, etc.  A vision of beauty does not arise when hearing the word maggot! 

The caterpillar takes a journey into a chrysalis, hides out and transforms into a beautiful butterfly that we enjoy.  More people take pictures of butterflies than caterpillars I am sure.  Butterflies are more appealing to the eye.

Do you think a butterfly wishes to return to a caterpillar stage?  They would give up flying to return to crawling along the rough, dangerous ground. 

Do you think a butterfly longs to hide in a chrysalis?  They would give up beauty and freedom to return to the hardships involved in transformation.

How often do we wish for a different stage of life?  Do you ever long to go somewhere and hide out?  Does a time in your past bring shame to your present journey?

A beautiful spirit takes time to develop.  The maturity we long for inside requires a process.  Each day builds on the next.  Each lesson learned, often through hardships, is part of the transformation.

I could create a long list of moments in the past I regret.  Often, those events creep into my thoughts and the enemy twists them in hopes to bring me down.  The enemy desires me to crash, crawl back into my pit and hide out.  This battle could go in two directions. . .

I could choose to fall in a dark pit of shame, guilt, regret, anger and sadness.  Allowing the enemy to win delays the greatness that God plans for this chapter of my life.  The journey stalls and my purpose cannot be fulfilled.  Choosing the pit over the path steals my joy in this moment and hides the light of God.

I could choose to combat the enemy’s lies with God’s Truth.  As I turn up the volume on God’s voice, the enemy cowers down.  God reveals the beauty that developed from my past.  Each moment in the prior chapters of my life have purpose.  Yes, they were difficult; but, without them, I would not be as strong and beautiful on the inside as I am in this moment. 

God prepares us daily for the next page, the following chapter and continues to write our story in life.  Looking back in shame hinders forward progress.  Rereading the past chapters in life breaks open the wounds.  Visiting the pit of the past steals our purpose of the present. 

Stand strong dear friends.  Don’t allow the enemy to lead you back in the pit.  There is no purpose in the pit.  God has transformed you from your past to move forward on the path laid before you and fulfill a mighty purpose.  Use the transformation to help others out of their pit.  Use spiritual growth to lead others down the path of recovery, growth and peace. 

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.^[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Take one step at a time forward on your journey in life.

 

Live life. . .One Day at a time! 

Sheree Craig

Finding Your People

The world screams independence, don’t rely on others, do it yourself and go after what you want!  Okay, I am all about self-motivation and discipline; but, on the same note, we need one another.  Going at the world alone does not align with the original plan. 

I depend on my husband.  I would be lost without him.  We do not fight for power in our marriage.  I avoid throwing out the feminism card.  I need him and he needs me.  God intended teamwork in this life.  Where I lack in knowledge or skill, my husband comes in and shines (and vice versa).  We literally complete one another, encouraging each to be the best version of ourselves. 

I rely on others at work to reach success.  I rely on others to navigate through flooding emotions during the storms in life.  I rely on others to navigate this world.  That is okay.  God intended teamwork in this life.

I can only go after what I desire with the support and encouragement of others.  Advancement in life requires a circle of people cheering you on and listening when things get difficult.  Gathering other perspectives on life helps reach goals and do so smoothly.  God intended Teamwork in this life.  We need one another. 

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two, not one!  The emphasis of “do it yourself”, “don’t rely on anyone”, “independence”, brings joy to the enemy.  The enemy loves when we are alone.  He corners us, fills our minds with pride, lies and destroys the path laid by our Creator. 

God places people in our path for a reason.  He uses His children as vessels to speak Truth into others.  He shines through your people to help in the darkest of moments.  He surrounds you with prayer warriors to fight for you.  Some individuals come in your life for a bit of time just for that reason – to pray on your behalf.  Yet, others come in your life and stay forever because God knows that you need one another to survive this life.

I have two amazing friends in life.  Unfortunately, they both live 200+ miles away.  We do not talk on a the daily; but we think about one another daily, text often and call occasionally.  We visit throughout the year in person and help one another through the tough stuff in life.  I would not trade these two women for the world.  God sent each of them into my path to encourage, love and pray for me.  I provide the same for them. 

I also have two beyond amazing people that God brought to my husband and I early on in our marriage.  These two accepted the mission from God to pour into my husband and me.  They each took time out of their lives to help us through rough times (and continue to do so).  They are amazing.  We remain in contact monthly with them though they live 300+ miles away.  We call on them for wise counsel and they drop everything to talk. 

I have three incredibly amazingly perfect people I return home to daily.  I would not be this far along in my healing journey if not for these three.  God has blessed me beyond measure to allow such love in life.  They love me unconditionally.  They listen when I have a horrible day.  They provide laughter, great memories and encourage me constantly.  I rely on them daily.  They rely on me daily. 

The whole point of all this gibberish is - we need one another!  We need God to fight the enemy.  God helps by sending those with skin on to walk alongside us.  Humility required.  Going against the grain required.  Teamwork required.

Do you have people in your life?  Do you humbly reach out in times of need?  Seek God for guidance to build your people to surround you and help you in life.  Sometimes it takes tearing down the walls built around your heart to let people in and trust that they will stay, love you and help you in this life.  Trust that God will provide you with support people in this world.     

Live life. . .One Day at a time! 

Sheree Craig

No Chapter Wasted

Confession:  I’m a Pinterest addict.  I mean, seriously, I need PA – Pinterest Anonymous.  I scroll daily on Pinterest.  I may not scroll for the same purpose as most.  I scroll for inspirational quotes.  I scroll for recipes as well; but, mostly inspirational quotes.  I know, I know, lame, right?

For some reason, I feel like these quotes help express the emotions stirring inside.  These quotes often become little cheerleaders to help keep me on the positive track.  Some even feel like a little hug and confirmation that everything is okay.  The other day, I read one in particular which deserves an, “Amen!”. . .

Don’t judge my story by the chapter you walked in on.

~anonymous

You shouted, “Amen!”, didn’t you?  It’s okay, no judgement here. 

The people we meet in life have no clue the path we walked to arrive at this point in life.  If you met me today, judgments may begin when looking me up and down or as I speak.  The person standing in front of me has no clue I battled an eating disorder, infertility, anxiety, depression and fought for the woman I am today.

I do not list the things above for sympathy by any means.  I list them to prove a point.  We must not judge when meeting someone regardless of their actions, appearance or words.  We have no clue of the battle they faced, face or will face in this life.  It takes a moment in time that could place you in the same battle the person across from you experiences.  Don’t judge.  We are seeing only a page within a chapter of the book written describing the history of another’s life. 

I may not be where I would like to be in my journey of recovery from the above list; but, I have fought hard to get here and I am thankful for the journey. 

I need to edit the above sentence. . .God fought hard to get me here and I am thankful for the journey He has walked me through.  He is the only way I received healing.  He is the one providing Truth to guide my steps.  He is the life, laying the path I must work diligently to stay on daily.

God continues to fight for each of His children.  The difficult part enters when our pride denies the assistance offered by the One who can defeat the enemy.  God provides the protection required to deflect the fiery darts of the enemy.  God provides the Truth to overpower the lies of the enemy.  God always wins. 

We need the daily reminder found in God’s Word that He will remain by your side today, fight for your peace and lead you in a life of purpose.  He will not waste any page in your past, current or future chapter in life.  He uses all for good as you follow the path laid by Him. 

The chapters written in the past will reveal ugly, messy, bad decisions in my life; but, our Father in Heaven has transformed each moment into useful tools for the pages being written in the present time.  His blood shed on the cross washed all the ugly moments in my past clean.  His sacrifice on the cross transformed the messy years into a ministry.  His acceptance of this sinful woman allowed growth from the bad decisions in the past. 

Remember in this life that those you meet are walking a journey, building a chapter and moving forward in this life.  Be the person that meets them along the journey and helps guide in the positive direction.  Be the person that encourages healthy growth for their next page written.  Be the person that Jesus would have been in the years He walked this Earth.  Treat others as Jesus would treat them.  You never know the battle they faced, are facing or will face.  The enemy attacks us all in various ways. 

Shine Jesus wherever you may travel today! 

   

Live life. . .One Day at a time! 

Sheree Craig