By Erin Elizabeth Austin
I’ve lived an impossible life. So many things have happened in my life, I used to live by the mantra, “If it’s going to happen, then it’s going to happen to me.” Looking back, I can admit that was quite a negative outlook, but in my defense, many difficult things occurred over a short period of time. From being diagnosed with lupus at the young age of seventeen to recalling a childhood trauma I had blocked out, my life has been anything but easy. It’s no wonder I went through a time when I could rival Eeyore with my melancholy disposition. Yet those who know me today would say my bubbly personality is more like Tigger. So what changed? In a word – God.
It took a while, but after years of struggling, I finally understood that my life wasn’t going to be easy. I may not have understood why, but for whatever reason, God chose to allow me to endure some major obstacles. I couldn’t change my problems, but I could change my attitude and how I approached them.
Once I had this epiphany, God showed me what has since become my favorite passage in all of Scripture – Ephesians 3:20-21. It says, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I have often sold God short. Although not done intentionally, I’ve thought God wouldn’t or couldn’t intervene in my life. Maybe, just maybe, the God who created the universe couldn’t work in my life. Maybe my life and my problems were too impossible to deal with. Yet Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us that isn’t true. In fact, it tells us the exact opposite.
I’ve lived an impossible life. So many things have happened in my life, I used to live by the mantra, “If it’s going to happen, then it’s going to happen to me.” Looking back, I can admit that was quite a negative outlook, but in my defense, many difficult things occurred over a short period of time. From being diagnosed with lupus at the young age of seventeen to recalling a childhood trauma I had blocked out, my life has been anything but easy. It’s no wonder I went through a time when I could rival Eeyore with my melancholy disposition. Yet those who know me today would say my bubbly personality is more like Tigger. So what changed? In a word – God.
It took a while, but after years of struggling, I finally understood that my life wasn’t going to be easy. I may not have understood why, but for whatever reason, God chose to allow me to endure some major obstacles. I couldn’t change my problems, but I could change my attitude and how I approached them.
Once I had this epiphany, God showed me what has since become my favorite passage in all of Scripture – Ephesians 3:20-21. It says, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”
Maybe it’s just me, but I have often sold God short. Although not done intentionally, I’ve thought God wouldn’t or couldn’t intervene in my life. Maybe, just maybe, the God who created the universe couldn’t work in my life. Maybe my life and my problems were too impossible to deal with. Yet Ephesians 3:20-21 tells us that isn’t true. In fact, it tells us the exact opposite.
What if God allows us to go through the impossible in order to show us what He can do? What would happen if we took God’s promise in these verses to heart? What if when we reached an impossible place in our lives we stepped back and waited for God to show up and do something profoundly amazing? How different would our lives be if we lived emboldened with this truth? What would the world see if Christians began to live their lives in the power of God?
Now, if you’re like me, you might have the tendency to be leery of promises like this. I know, maybe I’m cynical, but it just sounds too good to be true, which is why I asked God to show me the truth of these verses. I began praying this verse last year. Desperate to see God work in my life, I begged Him to do the impossible. Admittedly, it was a prayer I wasn’t sure He would answer. He’d never done the impossible in my life, but to be fair, I never dared to ask for the impossible. I didn’t trust Him enough to believe He could do it.
Yet despite my miniscule faith, God showed up in a major way. This past year has been the biggest adventure of my life. Don’t get me wrong, there have still been problems, but there have also been breakthroughs and victories, something I didn’t believe possible in my life before now.
I’ve seen my liver and kidneys, which were shutting down, begin to be restored. I’ve seen prayers answered and dreams realized. Things like launching a magazine and being published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book have become a reality, something I would have said was impossible at this time last year. But most importantly, I’ve seen this skeptic who was running low on faith begin to believe that anything is possible with God.
We’ve spent the last several months doing a series on learning to thrive, and this is the most important lesson of all. We serve a big, powerful, mighty God who wants to work in our lives, but in order for that to happen, we must take our eyes of our problems, fears, and doubts and turn them solely on to God. The only way we can see God do the impossible in our lives is if we stand on the truth and authority of His Word and refuse to listen to the doubts swirling around our heads. Our God is greater and stronger than any problem that comes our way. He IS for us!
It’s time to LIVE! So you’ve come to an impossible place? It’s okay because you know the God of impossibilities! Choose to trust Him. There may be times you have to will yourself to do this, but you won’t regret it, for it’s when this happens you will begin to experience the incomprehensible power of a truly amazing God. And that is an impossible place you want to be!
Yet despite my miniscule faith, God showed up in a major way. This past year has been the biggest adventure of my life. Don’t get me wrong, there have still been problems, but there have also been breakthroughs and victories, something I didn’t believe possible in my life before now.
I’ve seen my liver and kidneys, which were shutting down, begin to be restored. I’ve seen prayers answered and dreams realized. Things like launching a magazine and being published in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book have become a reality, something I would have said was impossible at this time last year. But most importantly, I’ve seen this skeptic who was running low on faith begin to believe that anything is possible with God.
We’ve spent the last several months doing a series on learning to thrive, and this is the most important lesson of all. We serve a big, powerful, mighty God who wants to work in our lives, but in order for that to happen, we must take our eyes of our problems, fears, and doubts and turn them solely on to God. The only way we can see God do the impossible in our lives is if we stand on the truth and authority of His Word and refuse to listen to the doubts swirling around our heads. Our God is greater and stronger than any problem that comes our way. He IS for us!
It’s time to LIVE! So you’ve come to an impossible place? It’s okay because you know the God of impossibilities! Choose to trust Him. There may be times you have to will yourself to do this, but you won’t regret it, for it’s when this happens you will begin to experience the incomprehensible power of a truly amazing God. And that is an impossible place you want to be!
“And looking at them Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” ~ Matthew 19:26
© November 12, 2014
*If you missed the last devotion in the series “Learning to Thrive,” click this link: http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/life-with-dignity
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