God Can Use Where You Are
As the new year grew closer, I read and heard quite a few statements about the approaching transition into 2021.
It seemed as though everyone craved a fresh start and the opportunity to leave 2020 behind along with all of its troubles and hardships.
I’m right there with you!
2020 was challenging for everyone, to say the least, and I’m truly hoping that 2021 will be better.
Graphic that is white and gold that says, "goodbye, 2020!"
If we’re being honest, though, we are bound to face the same difficulties and even some new ones this year.
Unfortunately, that is never going to change no matter how many times the ball drops at midnight.
Where we are is where we are, and I have learned that if you cannot change your situation, there is something else that you can alter instead…
Your mindset.
Your perspective.
Your outlook.
The truth is that, wherever you are, even if you feel stuck, trapped, or hopeless, God can and will use that situation, and that is what we must focus on.
When I lost my sight, I wanted it to disappear so badly.
I prayed relentlessly for God to take my disability away, and, yes, I still pray for this because it is so hard to live every day in the dark.
The disappointment I felt from not being healed despite my prayers, medical treatments, and constant hopes lasted for months.
Honestly, I was pretty frustrated with God for not answering my prayers.
As my relationship with God grew, however, I realized that He was in fact answering my prayers through a different kind of healing.
He was healing me from the inside out as I gave my heart to Him, learned to trust His will, and found strength in His power.
Maybe one day that healing will reach my eyes in a physical sense, but right now He is using what He has done in my life to further His kingdom, and I think that is pretty amazing!
Instead of constantly wanting to be somewhere else, in a better situation, I realized that God can use me right where I am.
Graphic with Sara Claudia Ministries' logo with text that says, "I realized God can use me right where I am."
In this sense, my blindness, which I had looked at as a journey, is actually my destination…at least for right now.
And, I know His strength will get me through.
This doesn’t mean that we give up on asking God to deliver us from our circumstances. Prayer is an important and very powerful tool.
However, it is important to trust that God can still work miracles within that circumstance, and we must have the faith to allow Him to do so.
In Romans 8, Paul writes,
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God, and are called according to His purpose for them.”
(Romans 8:28)
It can be so hard to believe that there are still good days to come when we are facing hardships.
This pandemic, the loss of a loved one, or the end of a relationship are all things that can make us feel utterly hopeless.
We can learn a lot from Paul, however, the author of this passage. He was no stranger to suffering in his own life. He was thrown in jail, persecuted, and afflicted for his devotion to Christ.
However, he still recognized that these hardships are very short-lasting compared to the eternal glory we have because of our Savior.
“Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.”
(Romans 8:18)
This promise is enough to make us feel hopeful about whatever we are facing!
God really does work all things out for our good, whether that “good” comes today, a year from now, or in our heavenly home.
So, even if 2021 does not immediately prove to be the end to all of your troubles, strive to change your perspective.
A close up of a Bible opened outside in front of trees with sunshine beaming through them.
Instead of focusing on those hardships and wishing them away, focus on God.
Trust that in those hard and difficult moments, God can still work in your life, in the lives of those around you, and across the world!
