Dang, You Are Refined…
Listen up, my friends,
I hope you hear this loud and clear, and that this message can reach the deepest parts of your heart and mind…
Your struggles don’t define you, but they will refine you. Repeat that.
You are not depression.
You are not anxiety.
You are not cancer.
You are not your illness.
You are not an eating disorder.
You are not defined by whatever life circumstance you are going through.
Could you please accept this new thought:
“My struggles do not define me, they are refining me. And dang, I’m refined!”
Our thoughts are so powerful and it’s key to stay in a mindset that will generate the results that we want to. I’m not saying don’t feel your feelings because you should feel them but then move forward to find thoughts about your current challenges that are going to propel you forward.
Think of the process a diamond goes through to become a diamond. It is subjected to extreme temperatures and pressure to be-come something beautiful and smooth.
We are much the same way. We must endure the fiery furnace of affliction to be-come who God created us to be. It’s through the challenges that the rough edges are smoothed out and our character is forged.
Believe me, I know it’s not easy – there are certainly seasons in life where we are faced with one challenge after the other. In the storm it can be hard not to get caught up in the “woe-is-me” mentality. Having a clear perspective, a warrior mindset and asking God “what can I learn from this experience?” instead of “why me?” changes everything.
Believe me, I’ve tried both and I know that asking what I can learn is so much more effective and there is much less if any resistance. You know what they say: what you resist persists and you just end up in the struggle/the storm for so much longer. Lean into it and see what you are made of.
And, just remember WHOSE you are. Remember that you are powerful beyond measure. Dang, you are refined!
Until next time,
Tammy
