Welcome Friends
I may not know what you’ve been through or what you’re walking through right now
but I do know this:
We live in a broken, hurting world.
Life can leave us bruised wondering if I will ever recover
But here’s the truth I hold on to:
Those who belong to Christ often endure hardship
The path to heaven often winds through the hardest places
but there is hope for all those that walk with the Lord
All I can do is share my story and trust that God will use it to bring hope and encouragement
to those who need it most
When you’re hurting, feeling traumatized, broken, suffering, abandoned, betrayed, exhausted, or oppressed—
In these painful we often make an oath or inner vow to protect ourselves from being hurt again
In those vulnerable moments, we often say things like:
“I can’t let anyone hurt me like that again”
“I can’t let anyone treat me that way again,”
“I can’t let anyone say those words to me again,”
or “This will never happen to me again.”
Usually, these feelings stem from bitterness, trauma triggers, or unhealed wounds
We often make vows rashly in the middle of pain
These inner vows and oaths-it actually paralyzes us
It is about control and protection not about faith and suffering
Like many of us have-I have been there too
Since I was young, I learned to build walls around myself for protection
But 2.5 years ago, after one of the most painful events of my life
Instead of making another inner vow to protect myself,
I chose something completely opposite…
James 5:7 tells us to be patient as we wait for the Lord’s return,
James 1:12 reminds us that those who persevere under trials are truly blessed.
God calls us into a covenant relationship with Him
one where we endure suffering with patience and trust
The counterfeit to this is when we make a inner vow or an oath, not with God, but with ourselves
when we become afraid of the suffering, we often reject the presents of God
Instead of making an inner vow to protect myself, I chose to invite the Lord in
He began to show me how to endure suffering with patience and trust in Him
It didn’t happen overnight, but over time,
I was learning what it meant to truly walk in relationship with Him
All the answers we need for how to live this life are found in Scripture
When we read about the prophets in the Bible, we see that they were human just like us
they weep, they bleed, they struggle, they suffer
and yet—they remained patient through it all
james5:10-“Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering,
take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”
In the same way, we must learn to look beyond our pain—and fix our eyes on our Savior
Another powerful example is found in the Book of Job
Job is wealthy, done well in business, he is healthy, has 7 sons and 3 daughters
and then the bottom falls out of his life
his kids die, his business goes bankrupt and loses everything.
he is sitting on the ground with his body broken out in sores
Job had no idea why he was suffering—and often, you and I don’t either
Sometimes there’s no clear answer for our pain—
So how did Job endure?
How did he keep going each day?
I can tell you this:
He didn’t crawl into bed, shut out the world, and made inner vows
to protect himself from ever feeling that kind of pain again
Instead of building walls, Job chose to remain open before God
He did this through perseverance and steadfastness
Job says in 19:25-27 -I know my redeemer lives and just have to wait for the second coming
And we can’t forget Jesus—who also suffered greatly, though He was without sin.
He chose to endure the cross so we could be carried through our own suffering with hope
I don’t understand why that this time, though this suffering,
I chose NOT to make that inner vow to myself to protect myself and shut down
I chose to do the opposite- invited the Lord in
That choice didn’t come from my own strength
only God could have led me there.
It was Him stirring something new in me, softening my heart, and showing me a better way
And through that surrender, I began to experience something I have never felt before
Healing, Hope, and a Deeper Relationship with Him
The inner vows we make to protect ourselves only end up paralyzing us
and creating distance between us and God
Instead, we are called to remain patient and steadfast in the face of suffering
trusting God and staying obedient, even when we don’t understand.
Suffering is not a sign that God has left us
but part of following Him faithfully
James 1:12
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test,
that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
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
