What was your history like?
Beautiful or broken?
Do you feel like what has happened in the past limits you or liberates you to accomplish the will of the Lord for your life?
However you feel, the good news is, God takes the chapters of our lives, despite how ugly they may be and creates a beautiful story.
Me? I lived in a sheltered bubble in my early years.
Mom and Dad made every effort to keep me and my siblings unspotted from the world. Because of the mostly sanitized environment of our home, many of the lessons I learned about love, friendship, hurt and reality came much later for me.
I was caged, viewing the world through the small spaces between the metaphorical bars that confined me growing up as a strict preacher’s kid.
What others could do, I was not allowed to do. No extracurricular activities, boyfriends, sleepovers, outings with schoolmates, or anything that would have taken me beyond the boundaries of home and the church my father was pastoring at that time.
So I stayed on lock-down in the house and read a lot of books, prayed, studied the Bible and kept a notebook full of letters to God, scriptural interpretations and devotionals.
I learned to be an introvert and find comfort in solitude, at first, because I had no other opportunities to escape the “prison” my father, the warden, created for me growing up.
Later, I found solace in isolation as a welcome retreat from the harsh realities of a world I was not prepared to embrace, accept or understand.
College was a culture shock. Professors challenged my faith. Students broadened my horizons. Information reprogrammed my thinking. But nothing could permanently take away my foundational belief system, although I temporarily questioned everything I thought I knew about God.
At one point, I wasn’t sure what to believe, which drew me deeper into Scripture, seeking out answers.
As you can tell, I came away with the conclusion that the God of the universe is very real and lives inside me.
Looking retrospectively, all in all, I am grateful, not because my childhood or young adulthood was perfect (Far from it!), but because a perfect God has molded me after His will despite whatever I lacked.
Perhaps you grew up differently than I did.
You may have been given access to too much, too soon. Maybe you were a latchkey kid, forced to take on adult roles in the absence of one or both parents.
Whatever the case, the outcome is the same if you yield to God: He will take everything you are and make you into exactly the person He desires you to be.
No matter what baggage, issues, or struggles you have stemming from the foundation (or lack thereof) set for you in your formative years, for every deficiency, God is your sufficiency.
Whether you feel like you don’t know or enough, or you know too much, God’s power reaches beyond your limitations and equips you to thrive.
No matter where you start, God has empowered you to finish strong. Be encouraged. The Lord is with you.
I'm reminded of the Apostle Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus), who was raised according to the strict standards of Jewish law, even though the Lord chose him to be a a vocal Christian and advocate for God's grace.
Though his past could be seen as a barrier since he once persecuted followers of Christ, God used Paul's history as an asset to help him lead those bound by the law to true freedom.
If the Lord can do that for Paul, He can do it for you too.
What you view as a disadvantage, God will turn it around and tie it all in to your ultimate purpose, because He is sovereign and all-knowing.
So don't focus on your perceived weaknesses. Zone in on His strength.
To help you do that, I’m stirring 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV into your cup of inspiration, which says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”
When you drink down the contents of your cup, you will be comforted by this truth: your past does not preclude you from receiving what God has predestined for your future.
Right now, lay down any brokenness, insecurity, or unresolved issue tied to where you come from and what has happened to you, at the foot of the cross. Jesus wants it all today. He specializes in strengthening the weary heart, healing the discomfited soul, and easing the troubled mind.
Now let’s pray together.
God, You know where I have been and also where I’m going. So thank You for showing me that my destiny is not limited because of my history. But by Your power, I am able to overcome and do all things through You, the One who strengthens me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
If you need prayer, don't hesitate to request it. I would be honored to stand in faith with You. I know that prayer works. CLICK HERE to learn how to submit your prayer request.
