daily devotional

Have you ever felt sorry for yourself? Overwhelmed with all your problems, defeated by your circumstances, disappointed in your progress, and just been down. Down wallowing. Wallowing in all that has gone wrong for you and all that could go wrong. Girl, let me make this real simple for us all … you’re entirely too powerful, too valuable, and too capable to be wallowing around in your own life.

Life is hard. It’s meant to be hard. It’s what makes it beautiful and priceless … and it’s what makes you better!

My daughter Alexa is a soldier in the Army. Growing up she hated camping. Our family camping trips were like a punishment to her and she would spend the entire time miserable. Yesterday I received a photo from her with her face painted in camouflage, in the woods of Germany where she’s been training and sleeping in a tent for 2 months. AND SHE’S HAPPY. Does she love it … probably not … the girl loves to wear high heels and shop, but she’s made up her mind to do the best she can with what she has been given and that makes a world of difference.

Last summer as she was leaving for basic training in the Army, her older brother who is also a soldier gave her a pep talk and a list of advice. He said the most important thing is DON’T FEEL SORRY FOR YOURSELF. It’s the ones who feel sorry for themselves that don’t make it. They’re the ones who struggle the most. The ones who reach their limit with untapped potential still within. The ones who will look back with regret.

Have you been feeling sorry for yourself? Understand you can be pitiful or you can be powerful, but you can’t be both. God didn’t create you with all this potential and place his power within you so you could be pitiful. There’s not a single thing about you or about your life that warrants self-pity. Buck up big girl, this is life! Are you going to show up for it and do this thing, or are you going to shrink back, play little and wish it were easier.

An easier life does one thing … it makes you lazier. With ease we become complacent and eventually grow ungrateful. Stop wishing it were easier. Ease is not your friend. Ease slowly rocks you into a corner where life becomes small and you’re living as a watered down, tamed version of the beast you were created to be. Yes, I said it … you were created to be a beast! Someone who can conquer challenges. Someone who can go through the valleys and climb those mountains. Someone who can handle the storm, walk through the fire, get knocked down and get back up again. You were created to be powerful, not pitiful!

As a 19 year old newlywed I was faced with a major challenge. A blood clot had lodged in my brain stem for 8 hours causing a major stroke, leaving me unable to walk or talk. And God had given me the greatest gift in the form of a husband who was a beast. Lonnie was a young soldier and he had been trained to tackle a challenge head on, never back down, show up and do what needs to be done. While I lay in a bed drooling, he never once felt sorry for me. He never offered me pity. He offered me power. He pushed me to do the impossible. God worked through that man to help me reclaim my power and ultimately my life.

This is what we need today. People pushing us instead of pitying us. Get over the woah-is-me pity party, shut it down, there’s no success to be found there. Pity parties are a gathering of the losers in life. Yes, I know that sounds harsh and I mean it to. Don’t be a loser!

James 1: 2-4 says “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Hey, what if God has allowed your current circumstances for a greater purpose than you have ever dared to imagine. What if this is about helping you rise up to the next level of living? What if this is about giving you a story that will guide you to greater things? What if this is about pushing you to become so much more?

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly. Was the cocoon hard … darn right it was! It was dark and felt like death. It felt unfair. But when the time came to push it was with great purpose! It was time to break free and spread it’s new found wings. It had become so much more during the process. Pity would handicap the butterfly. The struggle is for a purpose, the forming of wings.

Girl, your struggle is the same. There’s purpose in all this pain. Now is not the time to feel sorry for yourself. You’ll handicap yourself with that pity. You’ll get stuck here if you wallow. God is saying to you PUSH DARN IT, PUSH. Push through this hardship, push through this struggle, push through this disappointment because what he has waiting for you on the other side will be SO WORTH IT. Consider it pure joy because you’re being made into so much more!

There’s a sure formula for failure in life: Make your problems bigger and you smaller. Go ahead and get overwhelmed with your long list of all that’s wrong and all that could possibly go wrong. Shrink back and play little. That’s going to suck and you’ll be stuck. You weren’t given this life to fail at it. You were given this life to live it and get better as you do.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified … for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This does not say be weak and pitiful. This does not say wallow and complain. This does not say focus on your problems. This says FOCUS ON YOUR GOD. This says use what God has given you! God has given you strength and courage. He has given you exactly what it takes to overcome. You are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus – you are a champion! You were made for this battle – show up and fight. Fight for the life you were created for. Fight for the woman you were created to be.

Pity has no place here. You have God’s grace and mercy covering you – you have God’s power strengthening you and his Spirit guiding you. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. YOU CAN DO THIS! You are capable of hard things. The arrow is first pulled back before being propelled forward. It’s all for a purpose. You’re ready to be launched forward my sister! Ready to break free of this cocoon and become so much more.

You’re not a poor, poor girl going through hard times – you’re a mighty princess warrior with a great destiny!