By Last week, there was a snowstorm in much of the northern part of the United States. I saw the first snowflakes here in southeastern Pennsylvania. I always get as excited as a little girl when I see snowflakes falling from the sky. Each and every snowflake is different at the molecular level. They are amazing, beautiful and unique.
Just like the snowflakes, that many of us will see this winter, we are each uniquely created. Since we are uniquely physically created, we each have a unique journey in this life. Yet we frequently compare our lives and our lifestyles to everybody else. We often wonder “why can’t my life be like that” or “why do I have to suffer like this.” Unfortunately, the media and social media intensify this competition between people in today’s society.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
God has you where He wants you to be right now. In the meantime, this may mean you are struggling with an illness, a death, a relationship, or a job. Life will have these trials and God provides the hope for each of us.
Struggles and trials can be scary and seem impossible to get through. You may experience hopelessness when the struggle is for years, or when the struggle is intensely painful, or “it isn’t fair.” However, perseverance through our trials is where we grow. Our lives have been changed by those struggles. Each of us are meant to grow and to thrive with each step in our journeys.
Our future is secured in hope and not in despair.
Let us take time to dance and celebrate our uniqueness, with hope and joy. How can you celebrate your uniqueness? How can you help somebody else to celebrate their uniqueness?
I love the connection between the mysterious beauty of snow and our individual lives, as we each have a unique pattern of struggles, dreams, gifts and beauty. The time IN the struggle is when those gifts, dreams and beauties are truly cultivated because they are tested and molded through each step of perseverance. My word of 2019 is steadfast–and this post shines another layer to steadfastness by anchoring it in the promise of future glory and the absolute, irreplaceable importance that each of us plays towards that end.
Our gifts from God are indeed seen through our uniqueness, perseverance, and steadfastness. We are called to be bold throughout our lives. This is where our hope lies.