I am as grateful for the hard times as I am for the blessed times. —With every storm, there seems to be a rainbow, and even though the rain lasts longer than the sacred view, I am thankful for the opportunity to be transformed by our blessed Savior in all of it.

It’s an opportunity to pray, to trust, to seek God, to listen to the Holy Spirit, to bunker down and press into the opposition, to strengthen, to grow, to mature, to position myself to purge, to fast, to confront the pain, to forgive, to move forward, to understand, to make peace, to gain wisdom, to learn love’s singular meaning—to show mercy where mercy was given—that to have faith is worth more than gold.

1 Peter 1:7 (confirms):
“These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Today is a blessing.

I can see the Son in the sun, I can love my enemies while speaking the truth, and I can listen before reacting.

Today, I know who I am and who Father wants me to be.

Today, I accept that to act while told to wait is not inaction nor procrastination; it’s faith to work tirelessly on myself and give what is unseen, not for my own elevation but to serve in silence, giving from all we have so that Jesus is elevated and not my own ego and self.

For where obedience reigns, there is something like no other: individuality in Christ and the freedom to forgive.

Matthew 18:21-22 says, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seventy times seven.

It’s not a one-and-done position, and where there was a lifetime of pain and trauma, betrayal and obstruction, whether there was an assault on my testimony and a constant fist clenched in my face for my faith, Jesus was making a way.

Jesus presented a solution through my obedience to do what was unseen and silenced by naysayers claiming to know God.

But in the trials through years of hardships and pain, Jesus presented the lessons I needed to learn to work through pain’s opportunity to flourish in faith, allowing patience and obedience to do their work—a place where pride is dismantled and true integrity arose, a place where fear was silenced, and my body sanctified through fire, and the light shone on my heart, and I finally found my voice.

Jesus taught me well, in seclusion, to overcome resentment and be introduced to myself, to knock down the walls I built around myself to appear hard while I was born to be soft inside but over time I was beaten into submission.

It’s taken close to nine years to peel back the layers that life led me to close in, to uncork Satan’s bottleneck that sought to silence me forever and obstruct my calling in Christ, to ultimately lead God’s people out of ‘Egypt.’

From their slavery to sin and systems of control.

This is not your average story. Though created by God to handle heavy weight—made heavier by a lack of support and seething hatred—I never hated in return. Instead, I poured out the love and gospel of Jesus Christ, strengthened my spirit through Him, pushed back when necessary, made mistakes, and learned to calmly pull daggers out of my back for nine years.

Little do people know the target on the back of the Lord’s mouthpiece, needing no one else to believe it.

Meanwhile, Matthew 10:24 conveys it best: “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.

As Jesus suffered, His followers will also suffer for our faith; it reflects our identity in Him.

Suffering varies from person to person, so never judge too soon; it can lead to God’s rebuke and unnecessary pain for those already struggling.

While many came to nail my name to a cross for serving in faith and waiting, by His Spirit, I was made well.

Thank You, Jesus. God bless us all.

Tanto Amore’,
Sister Christine ❤️

C. Beach ©️