I am a Christian, and as much as I would like to believe that I am emotionally stable, I am not.
Don’t get me wrong.
For the longest time, I was under the impression that when you are a Christian or a believer, you tend to suffer less because you have Christ in your life. I was told that Christians are supposed to be stronger because they have strong faith, and they are supposed to not let sufferings get into them.
Until I learned about the false interpretation of faith.
Christians have the tendencies to get over things quickly, and we are easily tempted to compare our wounds to other people thinking that they are sadder in a completely worse reason. Some Christians tend to disregard and dismiss their pain– they put on their best smiles and tell everyone that they are okay– maybe because they see sadness as moral and spiritual failing.
This is me being straightforward, but many of us still have difficulty accepting our pain. Because of that idea, many tend to sanitize or filter their stories so they don’t make the people around them feel uncomfortable. But dear believer, bottling your pain and sorrows never made anyone spiritually healthy. Not even you.
In a futile attempt to erase our past, we deprive the community of our healing gift. If we conceal our wounds out of fear and shame, our inner darkness can neither be illuminated nor become a light for others.
Brennan Manning, Author
I tend to spiral a lot. I can’t count on my fingers how many times I wanted to run away because I felt so weak and vulnerable. The guilt seeps in when the universe conspires against me because I torture myself into thinking that I am not supposed to feel those pain. Until I came to slowly accept that being Christian is being more susceptible to pain and frustration.
Dear believer, the beauty of the gospel is power comes via weakness, I’ve been told. Remember Jesus’ weakest moment? It was on the cross. He died for us, yet on His weakest moment, He brought salvation.
So, dear believer, it’s okay to not be okay.
It’s okay to be vulnerable through suffering because you never know who might benefit from your stories.
2 Corinthians 12:9 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.
It’s okay to feel helpless and trapped. Everyone is going through something in closed doors, even those we look up to.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
It’s okay to feel hatred, and it’s perfectly okay to be hated. We are not everyone’s cup of tea, and that works both ways. We do things that hurt people, and at the same time, they could also inflict harm to us in more ways we can imagine.
Psalm 118:6-9 6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? 7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
It’s okay to feel unmotivated, just move forward one step at a time, one day at a time.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
It’s okay to be anxious and scared, and it’s normal to worry about the future. But on your desperate times of need, always remember that you are still God’s beloved.
Matthew 6:25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
It’s okay to be suffering now. You have to be broken down in order for you to be rebuilt.
Romans 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
So ACCEPT IT. We are imperfect. We make mistakes, we hurt other people. This walk is about showing up. Let Christ do the work when we fall short.
SHARING HOW YOU OVERCOME YOUR PAST IS BRAVE, SO IS SHARING YOUR PRESENT. Don’t deprive your circle of your healing gift. It’s okay to be open about your past and how you overcome it because your testimony can work wonders for the lives of other people. But if you’re comfortable with it, you also need to be equally transparent to what you are dealing with in the present.
And if it’s hard for you to share with other people, at least FIND SOMEONE (OR PEOPLE) YOU CAN BE BROKEN WITH. Look for people who can understand your flaws and imperfections. Those you can be completely open and comfortable with.
Above all else, LET GO OF WHAT YOU CAN’T CONTROL. When we let go and entrust everything to Him, we acknowledge that He is our God.
Dear believer, it’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to be weak. It’s okay to feel lost. It’s okay to cry your heart out. Remember that tears are prayers, too, and they travel to God when we don’t have the strength to even speak.
You are not less of a Christian, or a believer, or a human, if you have something to struggle with. God gives His hardest battles to his toughest soldiers, I’ve been told.
Carry on.
Neyziellewanders 