When I was in my twenties, I went through a tough time spiritually. At 17, I had become a fully devoted follower of Christ, but my family was not so sure about my decision. Because of that, they made my life more difficult than it should have been.
There was one message I heard during that time that served as a catalyst for change. The pastor taught on Mark 10:29-30, where Jesus promised that everyone who had anything stolen from them for the sake of the gospel would receive 100 times as much.
Now, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I know what everyone means. So, I took a walk that night, asking God to show me what He had for me, and to help me get there. And He did! His Holy Spirit revealed to me what my life could be—and now, by His grace, what it is.
God has a beautiful life for all of us! He longs for His Holy Spirit to lead us out of our suffering into hope that builds a beautiful future.
Romans 5:3-5 (CEV) says, “…We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.”
Honoring the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives is how we walk out of heartache and into hope. If we’ll submit to Him, He will heal our hearts, lead us out of tough circumstances, show us the dreams God has for us, and guide us on the path to reaching them.
I often say God healed me of blindness on my walk that day—but not the physical kind. He healed me of a spiritual blindness. He offered me a new vision—one no longer filled with heartache about my past but with hope for my future.
The best part is that now I get to tell people how this can happen for them, too. I often use the story of the physically blind man in John 9.
This man approached Jesus, wanting to be healed. So, Jesus bent down and spit into the sand to make mud. Then, He put the mud on the man’s eyes and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam. When the man obeyed, he could see.
Scholars debate why Jesus spit in mud, but here’s my own, humble opinion: have you heard the phrase, “common as mud?” I think Jesus wanted to show us that what’s common to us is often the very thing keeping us from seeing the glorious things God wants to do.
If we’ll wash away our perspective, we’ll see His much better one. Then His Holy Spirit will guide us in making those glorious dreams a reality! Trust me friends, if He did it for me, He can and will do it for you!
