Daily BITUB- “The Calm in the Storm”

“The Calm in the Storm”

We’ve probably all heard the saying the calm before the storm. I laugh at that often wondering… can we get some calm over here. Then it happens. God says here let me give you moments of clarity, truth, and reality in your storm by helping others navigate theirs. Then it hit me when I recently have had opportunities to be of service to others.There is something incredibly beautiful about serving others when you’re in the middle of your own storm. I’ve learned that you don’t have to have everything figured out to be a blessing to someone else. I knew that, but sometimes (more lately) I forget it. You don’t have to wait until the skies clear, the pain disappears, or life gets easier before you reach out your hand. Sometimes, the greatest blessing comes when you’re hurting yourself…and God still gives you the opportunity to help someone else.The calm in the storm. 

There have been days when my heart has been heavy, when my family and I have been navigating our own uncertainty, and when I could have easily turned inward and focused only on what we were facing. But then God puts someone in my path who needs a word of encouragement, a helping hand, a prayer, a smile, or simply someone willing to listen.

And something amazing happens.

For a moment, I stop thinking about my storm and start thinking about theirs. And somehow, in serving them, God begins ministering to me. That’s the part I never want to forget. Serving others isn’t just about what we give. Sometimes it’s about what God gives back to us through the experience. The reminder that we still have purpose, we still have something to offer, and even in difficult seasons, He can still use us.

What a blessing it is to realize that even while you’re praying for your own miracle, you can still be part of someone else’s.

Maybe that’s one of the greatest lessons of the storm:

You don’t have to wait for the rain to stop to become someone else’s umbrella.

Keep serving. Keep loving. Keep giving.Keep trusting. Because sometimes the blessing we’re looking for isn’t waiting on the other side of the storm. Sometimes…the blessing is found in who God allows us to become while walking through it.

Believe In The Unbelievable that is YOU and my prayer for you today is from 1 Peter 4:10.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” 

Have a great week ahead everyone. 

Little Boy, Big Dreams LLC

Purposeful Pathways 

DC 

Daily BITUB- “Grow with God”

“Grow with God”

“It is not enough to go with God, you must be willing to grow with God.”-DC (2018)

God seems to put memories on my page exactly at a moment I need it. I wrote that quote years ago and it popped up today. Thanks be to God! 

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the things I’ve been through, and I’m beginning to understand that some of the hardest seasons of my life weren’t meant to destroy me. No, they were meant to grow me. There have been times when I’ve prayed for God to change the situation, remove the struggle, open the door, give me an answer, or simply make things easier.

And sometimes He did.

But other times, He didn’t.

Those are the seasons that taught me the most.

I keep learning that there’s a real difference between going with God and growing with God. For a long time, I thought having faith meant simply trusting God to lead me where I needed to go. But now I’m realizing that God isn’t only concerned about where I’m going, He’s also concerned about who I’m becoming along the way. And becoming requires growth. Some of that growth has hurt. I’ve had to grow through disappointment. Grow through unanswered questions. Grow through things not happening on my timeline. Grow through losing things I thought I needed. Grow through moments when I didn’t understand what God was doing at all. There have even been times when I’ve questioned God, questioned myself, and wondered why I had to go through certain things. But looking back, I can see that God was doing something in me even when I couldn’t see Him changing what was happening around me.

He was teaching me patience. He was teaching me humility. He was teaching me to stop depending on my own understanding. He was showing me what needed to change in my heart. Most importantly, He was teaching me that faith isn’t just about asking God to walk with me… it’s about allowing Him to work on me while we walk together. I’m still growing. I’m still learning. I still have moments when I want answers immediately and moments when I wish the road were easier. But my prayer is changing. Instead of only asking, “God, when are You going to get me out of this?” I’m learning to ask, “God, what are You trying to grow in me while I’m here?” I don’t want to go through difficult seasons and come out exactly the same person I was when I entered them.

I want more wisdom.

More patience.

More compassion.

More discipline.

More faith.

More of Him and less of me.

I don’t just want to say God brought me through it. I want my life to show that God grew me through it. And sometimes, the very thing I’ve been asking God to remove may be the thing He’s using to grow me into the person I’ve been praying to become.

Believe In The Unbelievable that is YOU and my prayer you today is from  2 Peter 3:18.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 

Have a great day ahead everyone. 

Little Boy, Big Dreams LLC

Purposeful Pathways

DC