Crushing Life or Being Crushed By It?
Admirers eagerly pressed forward as the beautiful actress swept through the adoring crowd.
“She is crushing life,” one said, eyes glowing with a dreamy mix of veneration and envy.
A rumored yoga expert, clean eater, human rights activist, and size 2 waistline, this woman seemed to have everything. Even the very shoes she wore sold out online within five minutes, purchased by young girls and middle-aged women wishing to somehow capture a bit of her elegance for themselves.
Everyone wanted to be like her.
Not far from the undulating crowd was a rehab facility, a very specialized place where those who had suffered traumatic brain injuries were cared for in the months after release from the hospital. Nurses, doctors, and caring staff helped people whose lives had been stopped short find a path to a new normal.
There was one patient, however, who had everyone’s attention. Her life would never be normal again. She was only sixteen, and one Tuesday after school, she had done what she always did; she went to ride her horse. But on that fateful day, a passing dog darted toward them, startling her beloved horse and throwing her violently from his back. Doctors explained to her parents that she would never walk again, the injury to her brain and spinal cord rendering her paralyzed.
Every day, her mother visited. She combed her daughter’s golden, blonde hair and gently washed the spittle off the corners of her beautifully formed mouth, the one that had perfected the selfie pout and burst into smiles with friends only months before. Then she would take out her Bible, and remind her daughter and herself of the promises of God.
But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are knocked down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, NET
Sometimes we appear to be crushing life, and sometimes we are crushed by it.
How can we survive the unexplainable tragedies, the excruciating pain, and suffering that seems to roll like relentless waves over our heads and hearts, threatening to drown us?
I know no better place to go in the crushing than the promises of God.
He gives extraordinary power when ours is spent. The walls close in, and we are sure we will be crushed by them, and somehow we survive. We are perplexed, confused, wondering where justice is in the midst of pain, but then hope rips across the roiling, dark sky like lightning, and for a moment, we see the path in front of us again. We are persecuted, yet our God stands by us like a sentinel, whispering into our souls the courage to keep standing. And yes, we are knocked down. But we are not destroyed. Our God fights for us, and he helps us. He even holds our hand.
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14, NIV
I am the Lord your God. I am holding your right hand. And I tell you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’ Isaiah 41:13, ICB
Get alone today, and have a talk with Him about it. Shut out the other voices that are so noisy and think they know so much about who you are and who God is, and draw near to Him on your own. Ask Him to show you His promises for your life today, and face the crushing as He holds your hand.
God, show me promises in your Word for me today. Take my hand and help me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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