Your Life Has Meaning

After being an elementary school teacher for many years I unexpectedly had to leave when I was diagnosed with a chronic illness. The disappointment that I felt was like a heavy weight and for a long time I could not rise above it. As I stayed at home not able to do very much at all it felt like my life didn’t matter anymore.

Pain has a way of stealing the truth but thank God in his faithfulness and loving kindness he did not let me stay in that mindset. He did not explain my circumstances but he reassured me with his presence. As I fixed my eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2, his grace helped me to do the next thing day after day until I started to experience the joy mentioned in Psalm 4:7: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” This joy doesn't come from our circumstances but from having an intimate relationship with God. In fact, I had never experienced this treasure of darkness (Isaiah 45:3) before this time.

We will all face many disappointments in our lives and some of them are life altering, but even then God does not want us to live in discouragement. When we are followers of Jesus we can always have a reason to hope. God is close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) and he brings beauty out of ashes (Isaiah 61:3) so none of our hurts and suffering will be wasted.

God used that time in my life to prepare me for a new direction which means that even in seemingly insignificant seasons God is powerfully at work, and our lives matter. Even when our circumstances don’t look the way that we had imagined we can confidently trust that they always turn out to be exactly how God planned.

Heavenly Father, thank you that you love me and you want to help me. When I face difficulties, please help me to remember that every moment of my life has purpose. Please protect me from the lies that say otherwise.

Throughout this Day: No matter what your circumstances are today, depend on God’s grace to do the next thing, trusting that every moment has purpose in his perfect plan for your life.

Additional Resource: Read “The Weaver” poem by Grant Colfax Tullar (1869-1950):

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colours
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper,
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

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