If there was one thing that could erase from your life forever, what would it be?

I think if we’re honest, we all have something that we wish we didn’t have to go through. Maybe it’s an negative experience that you faced, or are facing right now. Maybe it’s an ongoing battle with something. I can’t speak for you, but I can speak for myself, and I know that I’ve felt this way.

When I was younger, I dealt with an ongoing situation that I can still remember vividly to this day. After a lot of prayer, before my first year of jr. high school, it faded away. I didn’t have to deal with it directly anymore, but there was definitely a certain aftermath to it. I had to come to terms with it, and at times, felt like I was really alone in dealing with my situation. I went through various stages, from anxiety to trying to push it as far out of my direct consciousness as possible. Only with time have I learned to face it, rather than run from it. It’s still a part of me, and a part of my life experience, but I can turn that negative experience around into a positive one, even though it wasn’t positive in itself.

If I didn’t have that experience, than maybe I wouldn’t know what it’s like to feel like an abnormality. Perhaps I wouldn’t have as much compassion for those who are struggling or people whose life looks different than most. Furthermore, seeing those prayers of my ten-year-old-self answered strengthened my faith in a way that can only happen through watching God’s power at work. I think in a lot of ways, it actually made me stronger.

Whatever it is that you’ve struggled with in the past, or are struggling with right now, take heart. I believe that no matter how bad, God can use it for good to help you grow and help others in similar situations. Romans 8:31-39 says “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God loves you more than you can imagine. He can help you through any situation that you’re going through, because no problem is too big for Him. He can also take those things that we want to erase and remold them into something beautiful. Some day, you and I may actually use those very things that you want to get rid of to help someone else. Instead of looking back at the past, I believe that we can all take our own life experiences and look forward to the future, anticipating that God will take our brokenness and turn it into something beautiful.

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This link here is a really inspirational story about a cancer survivor. I highly encourage you to read this. It describes perfectly what I’ve reflected on in this article. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gabrielle-flank/voices-of-strength-gabrielle-flank_b_7869230.html