Welcome Friends
How many of us rejoice after our struggles and hardship is over?
Be honest, you’re going through something and you give that sign of relieved when it’s all over
“I made it through it”
Everybody struggles but not everyone knows what to do in the struggle
Romans 5:3–5 says to rejoice in your suffering as it produces endurance, endurance produces character,
and character produces hope
In the past 39 years of walking with the Lord, I didn’t exactly wake up every morning thinking,
“Wow, I sure hope some suffering comes my way today so I can build character!”
The only suffering I remember “intentionally” enduring was childbirth — four times!
I never truly understood how powerful and encouraging this passage is until
I walked through a real-life struggle — one that brought me to the end of- myself.
God didn’t just humble me — He broke me completely.
It was as if He kicked my throne out from under me and brought me crashing down.
Because pride and disobedience simply cannot stand before a Holy God
Struggles and hardship aren’t a matter of if, but when
Suffering is one of life’s harshest teachers
don’t waste it-embrace it
In those moments, you have two choices
1. You can let it make you bitter, worried, fearful, withdrawn, and distant from God
2.Us this opportunity, allowed by God, to allow His hands to shape your character to bring forth something greater within you.
This transformation only unfolds when you stop resisting
I didn’t fully understand it at the time
I didn’t set out use my struggles to build character
All I knew was that I was in pain
and to drown out the negative thoughts in my head, I started reading the whole Bible
front to back, cover to cover, from Genesis to Revelation
and somehow, in that place of hardship, something shifted
It wasn’t me trying harder or deciding to be better.
It was by the grace of God
God loves us too much to leave us where we are. He doesn’t let us stay there.
One day, it was like…
I just don’t want to do those things anymore- the drama, complaining, talking behind backs,
negative talking, pointing fingers, arguing, judging others
I just wanted to be closer to Jesus. I wanted a deeper relationship
The Holy Spirit began to awaken within me.
The more I invited Him in, the more He started opening my eyes
Shining a light on things in my past,
He showed me disobedient patterns and attitudes
He revealed to me things I hadn’t even realized were wrong
I am a child of God, but I haven’t always lived like it.
Holding onto old habits that kept me from spiritually maturing
Life’s struggles and hardships are meant to build endurance in us
The strength to stand firm even under pressure.
Endurance shapes our character and fills us with hope,
Turning challenges into opportunities to bring out the best within us.
As Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
So, why not rejoice?
Because through every trial, God is wanting to grow these beautiful qualities in us
Through every struggle and hard moment, God calls us to keep going—to grow stronger and become more like Jesus.
That’s why Jesus went to the cross
He took our sin and gave us His righteousness.
We’re free to grow, to change, and to become more each day.
His grace doesn’t leave us where we are—it leads us forward
Let’s be that shining light to a guide other struggling through their storms
By sharing our stories
Together, we can lift each other up and bring His peace to a hurting world—the peace only God can give
I want to leave you with this final thought:
The question isn’t, “Lord, why are You doing this to me?” but, “Lord, what are You shaping within me?”
Sometimes God allows the fire not to burn us, but to refine us.
So ask yourself—Are you suffering the way God intended?
I invite you to walk this journey with me
True change starts from within
Let’s open our hearts and allow God to shape us
so we can better impact the world around us
https://echosofmyfootsteps.com
