1 Peter 5: 10-11; Romans 5: 3-5; James 1: 3-4

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Have you found yourself faced with a difficult situation? Have you been through the school of hard knocks? Has life dealt you some devastating blows? Are you in the wilderness of painful experiences? Are you currently enrolled in the school of adversity? Are you wallowing in the desert of misfortunes? Does it seem like life has been brutally unfair to you? Congratulations! God is up to something with your life!

It sounds cruel or insensitive to congratulate someone going through adversity; however, it is the right thing to say because adversity brings out the best in us. God uses the things we suffer to point us to Him, and ultimately shape our future. Life’s painful experiences come with so many benefits and lessons – building character, finding purpose, gaining experience, developing a message, becoming a voice, fulfilling destiny, and much more! The place of our breaking, is thus the place of our making!

There is no message without experience, and there is no experience without a message! The world’s greatest achievers all have a painful story to tell – of lack, misfortune, ill health, poverty, etc. The lives now crowned with bright futures were once marred with uncertainties and hopelessness! The place of your pain, is the place of your power; the place of your testing, is the place of your ministry!

God will first take you through the mess, so you can have a message – your experiences and lessons become a source of encouragement to others. When you have acquired enough lessons, then God gives you a platform – that is, God begins to place in your path the people/audience that will benefit from your experiences. You become a source of blessing, encouragement, and support to many! But it only comes through pain/suffering!

The glory comes when you begin to shine as God intended – you become a powerful tool, a sacred vessel, a valuable instrument that has been refined as gold; and set apart for the Master’s use.

The cogent point in this article is that the process is sequenced – the message, the platform, then the glory.  There is no shortcut!  The path to glory is strewed with palms of pain, tears, and suffering. But hang in there because there is a platform and a glory coming (if we do not faint)!

Remember…

If you want the victory, you must first engage in the fight

If you want the crown, you must first carry the cross

If you want the glory, you must first endure the pain!

It is well!