Hi Family! Welcome back to this series! We are officially halfway through the content that God has placed on my heart to share. In this post, I am sharing more details and revealing some realizations of what I could have done better.
Physical Therapy School: “Attempt 1”
Honestly, from January to July of this year, I was fighting many little battles:
a difficult professor, figuring out how to memorize an overwhelming amount of information, poor exposure in the field, maintaining a “sabbath”, commitment to my facade (see part 3 of this series), chronic pain, poor time management, pride, establishing this ministry, reestablishing community, stressful family interactions, and the list goes on and on and on.
Comment below if you have any questions about my experience, no matter how personal.
Daniel 3:17-30 • #ConfidenceGoals
In this story, Shadrach, Meshach & Abedinego walked into a literal FIRE with the confidence that God was able to save them and declared “but even if he doesn’t, he will still get the glory. It takes a great faith and a great confidence to tell your “hell on earth” situation that God CAN deliver me, BUT if he doesn’t… I will still be faithful, I will still praise him, I will still refuse to conform to the ways of the world, I will still give him the glory.
It was with THAT confidence, that God entered the furnace with those three hebrew boys…a furnace that was so hot, that it literally killed other people. Ya’ll, It KILLED others. It took others out of the game. BUT, these boys, these people of God, made it through the fire without the appearance, without the aroma of being in a firey furnace.
Remember when I said, that “i’ was determined to excel in PT school, through the struggles, and “i” wanted to still look good doing it. It sure seems like a harmless goal (at first). However, I was missing the point. The point is that my ultimate goal is for God to get the glory. As a result, when I walk into my storm, standing firm on my faith that God will be there with me and deliver me from it. Then, others will marvel at how I don’t look like what I’ve been through. Not because of me, but because GOD KEPT ME in spite of my storm.
Mark 14:32-41 • #PrayerGoals
I wonder what “Attempt 1” would have been like if I had prayed more like Jesus did. If I had taken my distress and fallen to my knees [sooner]. If I had cried “Abba, Father” when I felt overwhelmed and burdened. If I been intentional in declaring that my God is able to do ANYTHING. If I made my requests for God to remove me from my pride, my pain, my struggles, my fears, my inconsistencies, and my loneliness. If I had completely surrendered to “not my will, but your will be done”. If I reminded my true community to “keep watch” and pray. If I prayed that prayer over and over. That as long as I felt overwhelmed, that I kept asking God to release me from it, AND surrendered to the fact that in his will, everything has amazing purpose. You see, right before his crucifixion, Jesus was overwhelmed with the burdens of our sins, our iniquities, our transgressions, our problems and HE KEPT PRAYING. He still had to endure the pain though, because there was a greater purpose, one that reunited him with The Father and granted us true freedom. He still had to endure a pain in a way that would be an example to believers [1 Timothy 4:12].
Next time, I will pray more like Jesus. I will walk in the confidence & faith of the 3 Hebrew Boys! For I know that God CAN empower me to succeed…but if he doesn’t, he will still get the glory! For my ways are not his ways.
black. blessed. becoming 