Victory Following the Exhausting Journey

Life is full of challenges for most people. We can get exhausted by battles related to our health, our families, our jobs, and our finances. Personally, I deal with constant trauma in all of these areas. It’s not fun. My life can be absolutely exhausting.

The good news is this: In the past, I’ve noticed that my life follows the well-known axiom that it’s always the darkest before the dawn. My most difficult struggles have been followed by landmark events, such as: the births of my children, my graduation from college, a move to a new area of the country, and the publication of my first book.

What major victory is about to present itself this time, after the recent confusion and distress I’ve faced? I don’t know; but, it should be good! It should be huge, because my nighttime of effort has been quite gloomy.

Why do I Hope for Better Times?

It’s biblical. There are many examples of successes following unbelievable challenges in the Bible. The one I’d like to focus on in this post is the story of Jesus’ first meeting with Peter (Simon Peter), James and John as related in Luke, chapter 5.

Peter, James, and John were fishermen by trade. They had been fishing all night with nets possibly similar to the one pictured above. It was early morning, right before dawn. They were exhausted. They wanted to go home. They were “done” with fishing because they had caught no fish up to this point. Yet, in verse 5, Peter says to Jesus:  “…nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”

What happened next? Verse 6 states: “And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.” (King James Version) Not only did their net break; their ship started to sink. They had to call in their fishing partners to help haul in the load to shore.

What is the Moral of the Story?

Don’t lose faith, and trust the process of being refined—no matter how temporarily painful it is.

If you want to be used by God, you have to be willing to be prepared by God.

The emerging butterfly in the image above was once a caterpillar.  Before the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it eats and eats and eats…(You get the idea.) leaves. When it is done eating, it forms a cocoon (pupa) in which it remains for a time. When it finally emerges from the cocoon, it is a butterfly. Its caterpillar days are done.

It’s getting out of the pupa that’s the tricky part. The butterfly must fight its way out of its temporary home. It must break out of its confinement on its own. It’s during this difficult time of transition that the butterfly’s wings are strengthened enough so that it can fly.

What can an exhausted Peter and butterflies teach us?...Don’t Give Up! You’re strengthening your wings right now! Your breakthrough is coming!

How have trials made you stronger?