Do you have a year you’ve proclaimed to be your worst year ever? If you do, it was most likely marked by some kind of stress.
Perhaps, it was PHYSICAL STRESS. You were asked to spend way more time and energy than you had to serve someone you considered extremely difficult to love.
Maybe it was HEART STRESS. It was a year marked by the loss of a loved one – maybe a dear friend or family member – maybe your mom.
Then again, perhaps FINANCIAL STRESS marked your worst year ever. You lost your job or you had to close a business that never really got off the ground. Not only did your pocketbook suffer, but your pride took a hit as well.
Or, possibly, the year you proclaimed to be your worst was filled with EMOTIONAL STRESS. You listened to Satan’s lies so often that they got all tangled up in your thoughts. You became a little discouraged and a whole lot depressed.
If you took all of those kinds of stress and rolled them into one gigantic ball you would have my 2018. Yet, the year Satan meant for my harm I now see as the sweetest year of my life because that’s when I learned without a doubt that Jesus really is close to the broken-hearted, and He really does save those crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
Before 2018, I thought I could handle anything with my own strength. I thought I was Super Woman. However, I believe God allowed me to feel the weight of stress stacked on top of stress so that I would finally surrender my strength for His. When I came to the end of myself and was completely undone, THAT’S when I found everything I ever needed.
After reading Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, and 7) again, I realized that in one verse Jesus perfectly outlined my journey.
In Matthew 7:7 Jesus said, “ASK and you will receive.” I had learned that I can’t operate on my own power and endure for very long. I had to cry out to God for help. Because He loves me so much, He sent the help I needed through my family and friends.
Next, Jesus said, “SEEK and you will find.” From then until now, every morning I can be found with a cup of coffee in one hand and the Word of God in my lap. Those thin pages really are a light for my path and a lamp for my feet. (Psalm 119:105)
Finally, Jesus said, “KNOCK and the door will be opened.” This was the hardest part of my journey because I had some doors I had kept closed for 50 years. But God gave me the courage to not only go back and knock on them but to also step inside. When I did, I found Jesus there, ready, willing, and able to do the heavy lifting. He threw out everything that didn’t benefit me so that I could make more room for Him.
I’ve learned a lot since 2018, and I still have much more to learn. But there’s one thing that I know that I know that I know! If God can give me more love, more joy, and more peace than I could ever ask for or imagine (Ephesians 3:20), then I know that He is more than ready, willing, and able to give it to you. All you have to do is ask humbly, seek passionately, and knock courageously!
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, NLT)
Donna Jackson
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#donnajacksonblogs
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