Love offering. I had to contemplate and meditate on that term. What exactly is a love offering – and how can I, someone who struggles through life daily – have anything to offer up as a love offering?
From the ongoing healing process of childhood trauma, to the everyday challenges of living with bipolar and borderline personality disorder, I wondered if there was anything in me God could use. Anything at all that could encourage his body and build his kingdom.
Here’s the beautiful thing about God. When we ask – he answers (Luke 11:9). Not always how we expect or hope for – but he answers. And his answer to me was to steward my pain. Steward the hard stuff for his glory. He doesn’t waste pain – and he doesn’t want us to waste pain either. The question becomes – will I allow my pain to trap and consume me or will I let it propel me into God’s loving embrace and call on my life?
I’ve discovered that in the midst of incredible hardship – God gives good gifts. One of those gifts is the opportunity to serve others in their pain. We read in 2 Corinthians 1:4 “So that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
Perhaps God has allowed my pain so that I can comfort those in need. So that I have empathy and understanding that I wouldn’t otherwise possess. So that I can point to the goodness of God – the one who sustains me through the trials.
Maybe this is true for you too. Maybe you are walking through the wilderness. Maybe you feel like you have been living in the valley. And maybe you haven’t been able to see through the hardship. We may not get to decide on whether or not we will be afflicted – but we do get to decide what to do with the pain.
I’d like to encourage you today to lift your pain up as a love offering to the Lord. Ask him for opportunities to bring beauty from ashes in your life that will glorify him and make kingdom impact. Seek his will as you walk through your desert.
- Commit to giving God glory through your hardship – rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer.
- Commit to using your experience to uplift those behind you on a journey of pain – sharing with others the hope found in Jesus.
- Commit to stewarding your pain in the same way Jesus stewarded his suffering – obedient to his loving father and now glorified in heaven with him.
And through it all – cling to the eternal promise of God – that “after you have suffered a little while, the God of grace who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10.
Steward your pain for his glory friend. And watch the beautiful ways he will sustain and bless you.
About the Author:
Carla is the host of the Affirming Truths podcast, founder of In His Image Wellness Collective, author, mom, wife and mental health advocate. Her mission is to help women take thoughts captive, renew their minds and affirm their identity in Christ. She loves to see women gain confidence in who they are and walk more boldly in the purpose God has over their life.
Connect with Carla:
https://www.instagram.com/carlaarges
https://www.facebook.com/groups/affirmingtruths
5 Steps to Building Mental Resiliency
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