There is always a silver lining, right?
To me the silver linings are the blessings which the Lord gives us in exchange for the sadness, heartaches and concerns we experience in this fallen world.
Sometimes we make bad choices and experience consequences for those sins, other times we experience pain because of someone we love and their choices, and sometimes the heartache is just the result of this fallen world.
Below is a list of heartaches I have exchanged for the beauty of Hope given from the Lord.
Hope after my mom’s terminal diagnosis………..a closer relationship with my Dad.
Hope after being fired and run out of town…………God helped the church stand up and heal from people who were controlling it and were not listening to Him.
Hope after being a coach of a basketball team who never won a game all session long………..leading in character rather than competitiveness.
Hope after more debt than I ever imagined…………..paying it off one payment at a time.
Hope after my husband had an affair……………I am valuable and important to God, something I had totally forgotten.
Hope after leaving one job for another that was worse………….allowing God to help me discover how He created me and how that relates to my work.
Hope after a saddle pulmonary embolism (blood clot)……………realization that God saved me, (He was the only one who could have) He has more for me to do here on earth.
Hope after divorce……………God blessed me with a husband who loves and cherishes me, He also made me a (step) mom.
Hope after letting go of a business I loved…………finding coaching and a new way to minister to others.
There are many more complete statements I could share with you as I am sure you have a long list yourself.
BUT There are also others statements which I have not heard the Lord reveal the part after the …… yet.
Hope after infertility……………………..
Hope after miscarriage………………
Hope after watching my dad disappear with Alzheimer’s disease……….
I know God is faithful. I will be able to complete these statements someday because He Loves Me. As I walk with Him, I become more like Him, and I can see these things through His eyes. The silver linings. . . .
What silver linings have you seen in your life’s pain?
to provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, a mantle of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” “Then people will call them “Oaks of Righteousness”, “The Planting of the LORD”, in order to display his splendor. Isaiah 61:3
This is great. Quite straightforward and honest. Appreciate this.
Blessings.
Thanks Alex!
i received so much from your SILVER LININGS post. The most important thought was to slow down, and to “Know that I am GOD.” Felt all of your sadness, and then all of the blessings of hope. Your testimony is challenging me to think about my silver linings and to be thankful for how they have shaped me. My latest sadness came this week… My husband was diagnosed with a blockage in an artery, and subsequently, he had a stent procedure done on Friday. He is not a believer, but the prayers going up brought him through this scare, and that knowledge issuing a difference in our conversations about the LORD already. It WILL IMPACT our future conversations, and I know that silver lining of continued good health will bring both of us peace and a greater appreciation of each othe and of the power of our awesome GOD. THANKS! Looking forward to reading more of your shares! Always saw that positivity and spunk in you in 6th grade! GOD HAS BROUGHT YOU THROUGH SO MUCH AND HIS HANDIWORK IS A WONDER!
Barbara,
It made my heart happy to hear that my words encouraged and challenged you. Sadness is no fun but we know our Lord said it would be a part of this life. I am thankful your husbands procedure went well. May the Lord’s grace continue to protect and call him. Thanks for taking the time to reach out and offering encouragement to me!
Blessings,
Rayna
This is SO beautiful. You could honestly take each one of these exchanges and have them be stand alone statements! Thank you. The silver lining that I’ve had with so many years with a struggle with food is that I found so much beauty and growth by working through the struggle. My struggle with food has become a precious treasure to me.
Mary Lou,
Thanks for sharing your silver lining! Life and our relationship with the Lord really does change when we learn to look at our struggles as treasures, doesn’t it?
Blessings,
Rayna
I, too, believe there is a silver lining in every situation if we look hard enough to find it. There have been times when I’ve had to look very, very hard, but it is, indeed, there. I feel many of your struggles and appreciate your willingness to allow the Lord to work in you so that you could move forward changed and help change the lives of others in the process. May the Lord continue to bless you and allow you to see the rest of your silver linings in His perfect time.
Kerry,
Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Yes, sometimes it takes more time than others to see things from God’s perspective. I am so thankful He is faithful to complete the good work He has begun in me.
Blessings,
Rayna
This is lovely Rayna and a wonderful reminder that God is good all the time even when our circumstances would say otherwise. The silver lining God has taught me is that He will always choose well for my life. He may not always choose easy, but he will always choose well. And He has proven Himself over and over again: restoring my marriage in the wake of sexual addiction and infidelity; giving us a better and brand new home after losing ours to a fire; a brand new career as a coach after resigning as a pastor of almost 20 years and leaving a toxic abusive system to name a few. I love the scripture from Isaiah you posted. God does indeed give us beauty for ashes and I do praise Him every day for the goodness He has brought from destruction. Thank you Rayna for posting this wonderful encouragement today.
Pam, God is good & it is fun to celebrate that together! Thank you for sharing some of the silver linings in your life. It brought one thing to mind, we have to be willing participants in our silver linings. My divorce came at a result of a sexual addiction and multiple infidelities on the part of my ex-husband. I always knew God could restore but his willingness to receive God’s healing and forgiveness was not there so my silver lining looks different from yours. I am so thankful for God’s goodness however it looks. Thanks again for sharing! Blessings!
Rayna, you are spot on! It does take our full participation with God in the process. I am sorry to hear your marriage ended and have to believe this was Jesus working thru human choice to give you the very best. I am very grateful my husband chose healing but not gonna lie, there were times in the early years as I led partner groups with mostly separated or divorced partners of SAddicts I was jealous of them. It took a lot of hard work for both of us to heal.
Your comment reminds me of another very unexpected silver lining of walking through the fires of sexual addiction: I let go of magical thinking and got down to the business of growing up into Christ and taking proper ownership of my life. I quit objectifying my husband and self and accepted and celebrated the truth about us. Thanks again for sharing this Rayna!! My heart is blessed.
“…God causes all things to work together for good, for those who love God…” (Romans 8:28). It’s hard to understand this verse, but your life is living proof. Thank you for sharing.
Connie,
Wow thanks for the encouragement! I’m glad I could help bring more understanding to a difficult verse.
Blessings, Rayna
Beautiful post and beautifully written, Rayna. I don’t think I would have made it to this point in my life, if God didn’t heal, redeem and actually bring good out of what Satan intended for evil.
We serve an awesome God.
“Even in the wildest storms the sky is not all dark; and so in the darkest dealings of God with His children, there are always some bright tokens for good.” Robert Murray McCheyne [Letter: 6 February 1839]