hey, friend 🙂
It’s been a hot minute since i’ve come to share in this space. But, recently, I’ve been reflecting a lot on all that 2024 was and the refinement that took place and I felt the Holy Spirit prick my heart with this message. I hope that wherever you are in your season, it meets you exactly where you are and you feel the arms of Jesus wrap around you.
I’m no stranger to suffering. None of us are, really. Some of us suffer in different or more extreme ways, but we all suffer in different seasons. There’s been many nights that I’ve spent crying out to God, begging Him to take away whatever hard thing I’ve been facing and for most of my life, that hard thing has been chronic illness. There were many years that I spent with one hand, palm up in surrender and the other fist closed, holding on to the very thing I said I was trusting Him with. In the midst of a storm, it is really easy to take our eyes away from Jesus in the middle of that suffering and instead, place them on the waves rolling in. Which leaves us running in circles. I don’t know about you, but, i love to watch storms. There’s something fascinating about watching the clouds get darker and rain start to pour and hearing the thunder crack. It’s easy to trust that it’ll pass quickly; but, the harder the rain comes down, the louder the noise, the harder it is to believe that it won’t tear our house from the foundation it’s built on. I think this is the perfect picture of what suffering can feel like in the Christian walk.
I’ve come to realize that we often pray for patience because its a fruit of the spirit, not because we want it truly, but because we want the spiritual accolade of having it. We pray for patience (long-suffering), but aren’t willing to experience any hardship to achieve it and then are surprised when life hits us hard. This is something that has rung true in my own life. You see, for many years, my identity was placed in everything except Christ; my relationships with other people, my sickness and pain, my talents, my business, etc. Everything except Christ had a piece of me, making my daily walk with hardship even harder because my joy was circumstantial when it was never meant to be. Friend, can I tell you the truth? That joy doesn’t come from our circumstances, but instead comes from being rooted in Jesus. John 15:5 tells us that He’s the vine and we are the branches, that we are literally an extension of Him and when we allow Him to fill us, we bear His fruit. It’s hard to be an extension of Him without letting him invade every space of our hearts and minds. I can attest that in my own life, when my identity has been found in anything other than Jesus, that my patience has not only worn thin, but life seems utterly impossible. One of the verses that has given me such hope in this season of refinement is James 1:2-4 which tells us “consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” I’ve clung so hard to this verse because the Lord has changed my heart so much. I no longer feel like my suffering has no purpose but instead consider it an opportunity for refinement and growth.
Wherever you are in your season; suffering or filled with joy, my prayer is that you would run to the father in the midst of it. Because He doesn’t let go, no matter the fight. No matter your battle, His peace and love and strength are made perfect in weakness. There is freedom in Him. So, chase Him with everything you have; allow Him to take that burden of your season from you and walk in His freedom, friend.
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