Your pain can shape you

Birmingham, England

Sometimes life lets us down.
Plans alter.
Hopes and dreams shatter.

It leaves us devastated, angry and disappointed. We are alone, going through memories, and thinking about how things could have been handled differently. We experience loss, deep hurt and a brokenness we could never have imagined.Regardless of what life might have been, this is our new reality.

How do we deal with it? We might choose to stay devastated and take on a completely negative outlook. This will only serve to cripple us. There is an alternative and that is to embrace the tremendous opportunity that this difficulty has presented. The future is before us. It begs for us to step toward it.It is a challenge to step forward and seize what is before you; but that small step is the very thing that catapults you into a new tomorrow that will fulfill your dreams beyond anything you could have ever imagined.

The future welcomes you. God is willing to take the difficulties you've encountered and help you build on them.

"I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God." Zechariah 13:9   

He will use them to shape you to have an even greater impact. He will journey with you and give you all you need to take those steps. You will need to call on Him and hear His voice. Give yourself the freedom to overcome the past.  
You will need to feel the hurt so you can heal.  Pain doesn't do well when we ignore it. It tends to go places and show up at a later date. It hinders you from the freedom to become all that God has called you to be.

Resolve the past.
Embrace the future.