Can I See God Through My Tears?
When I was 19 years old, about a year before I lost my sight, I took a trip with my parents to the Grand Canyon.
My dad and I were able to gaze upon the spectacular landscape from a unique vantage point on a helicopter ride.
Slightly terrifying? Yes! But the views were well worth the mild panic attack! It was one of the most wondrous things I have ever seen.
The Grand Canyon is one of those sights that just makes you think, “How in the world could someone not believe in God?”
How could something so beautiful and so spectacular simply arise by chance?
Sara Claudia and her dad, Rick, in front of the Grand Canyon together while smiling.
Have you ever had a similar thought?
As Christians, I think that we have all at one time or another looked at the beauty, majesty, and amazement of the world around us and wondered how someone could not believe in a higher power, in our Lord God Almighty?
What He has created could have only come from His able and powerful hands.
But would you believe me if I told you that He is just as present in the darkness, the ugly parts of the world, and the times of suffering as well?
In Philippians 1, Paul is writing from prison to the Christians in Philippi. In his letter, he is not complaining about his current circumstances. Instead, he is writing a thank you note to the church for their support of his mission to spread the gospel.
Can you imagine? Being in prison and writing a thank you note?
In this letter, he writes,
“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake”
(Philippians 1:29)
Paul truly was suffering for Christ at this time. He was in prison because of his devotion to spreading the gospel. He was suffering because of Christ, but Christ was also working through his suffering.
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much bolder to speak the word without fear.”
(Philippians 1:12-14)
Not only were people in Paul’s day coming to know Christ through seeing how he responded to his circumstances, but he would also encourage people’s faith for years to come through his writing.
While imprisoned, he wrote the books of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, which are still encouraging us and building us up in Christ even today!
The point is that we do not have to travel to a distant place to find God.
Text on a white piece of paper above flowers that says, “We do not have to travel to a distant place to find God.” - Sara Claudia Ministries
We don’t even have to travel out of our current circumstances to know that He is real and He is there.
When we seek Him out and live in His will, just as Paul did, we can realize that no matter where we go or what we’re going through, He is there, working in the midst of it all.
I have been blessed enough to see many beautiful places in my lifetime, but what really proved God’s ever-presence and power to me was not beautiful at all.
In contrast, it was something tragic, sad, and ugly… the loss of my sight.
Through this tragedy, I was able to feel the strength of God's comfort and grace, see Him work in my life in a way I never could have imagined, and feel what it was like to solely rely on Him and truly have a relationship with Him.
I know that He has been there through it all because there is honestly no other way I would have been able to fight through all of the pain, hardships, or trials that my blindness has brought and continues to bring.
It hasn’t been easy and the enemy is there as well, constantly trying to pull me away and keep me from being an instrument for God.
In these times, I try to remember that the same God whose power created that enormously beautiful canyon that I saw so many years ago and the same God who strengthened Paul through his imprisonment, is the same God who has been with me through every tear, struggle, and moment of ugly pain.
A tall, white wooden cross in front of a canyon and a sunset.
Furthermore, that same God, the one true God, is still with me today, and He is just as faithful, loving, kind, and powerful.
Just as you gaze upon those beautiful landmarks and natural phenomena with wonder at God’s power and majesty, I challenge you to gaze at the ugly parts of your life with the same amazement.
It might take time, patience, and a whole lot of prayer, but I guarantee you will see God’s ever-present, loving, and powerful hands working through it all.
