“You’ll get through this . . .” Max Lucado

Last Sunday this renowned Christian Author was a guest pastor at my church.  His message was extremely poignant and so very profound.  I felt as if he was speaking to me directly; providing me with a personal message from God to help me transcend through the heartache, despair and tragedy that our family has had to endure.

He opened with . . .

“You’ll get through this.  It won’t be painless.  It won’t be quick.  But God will use this mess for good.  Don’t be foolish or naïve.  But don’t despair either.  With God’s help, you will get through this.”

Yep, I think God wanted to make sure that I heard this because I’ve been living through one gigantic mess for quite sometime!  And whereas I am moving in the right direction, there are days where it feels like I’m just trading one mess for another; solving one problem while simultaneously stumbling on another; and fighting all the way through.

Sound familiar?

What Mr. Lucado brought to light is that scripture is full of these “messes” and because of our familiarity with certain Biblical stories; we often fail to see the message of what can be accomplished through “turbulent times.”

Last week’s sermon was centered around the Old Testament story of Joseph, which happened to be my late husband, Gabe’s most loved Biblical story.

Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical production of "Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors" was always a family favorite.  One very special memory that I have of our earlier life together was when we took our “Little Gabe” (for his 3^rd birthday) to see a production at the Chicago Theater with Donny Osmond in the lead.  We owned numerous copies of the soundtrack.  We attended adaptations of this in Chicago, St. Louis and everywhere in between.  We knew all the words and I would sometimes play the musical score on the piano so we could sing “Any Dream Will Do” together as a family. 

But last Sunday, I heard a very different story with a profoundly different message.  My familiarity with the musical had hindered my ability to see this as a story that I could embrace and learn something from. It just never felt relevant. 

What I am now discovering however, is that the real story of Joseph is one of patience, perseverance and faith that overcomes betrayal, imprisonment, despair and rejection; a story of transcending through a terrible set of circumstances and using those experiences to become great leader; a story of exemplary greatness only realized through a pathway of adversity.

I certainly can’t speak or write as eloquently as Max Lucado and I won’t even begin to try.  But, these are the key points that particularly spoke to me:

1   1.     Pray your pain out.
2.     Don’t give into despair
3.     He uses tragedy to accomplish His will.
4.     It’s always better to shake your fist at God than to turn your back to him. (Yes, it is okay to be angry.)
5.     God gets his people through things – you won’t be stuck here forever.

I have begun to study and absorb Mr. Lucado’s latest book. I challenge you to use his message to help you Transcend Your Own Personal Tragedy.  

After all, “You’ll get through this.  It won’t be painless.  It won’t be quick.  But God will use this mess for good.  Don’t be foolish or naïve.  But don’t despair either.  With God’s help, you will get through this.”

And if you won’t take my word for it, below is the link to a review of You'll Get Through This from the Washington Times:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/5/kellner-popular-author-wrestles-with-the-question-/?page=1