Understanding Suffering through the Story of Naaman

During my morning quiet time I've been reading through various books of the Bible. I've developed a fascination with Elisha's character so I've recently found myself in 2 Kings. I flipped open to the chapter/verses I was due to read for the day and stumbled onto 2 Kings 5:1-19, the story of Naaman's healing. 

Naaman was considered a mighty warrior (NLT version) and yet he suffered and carried with him the physical burden of leprosy. I've read/heard that leprosy is painful, crippling, & deeply lonely. Can you imagine the physical and emotional toll this disease had on Naaman's body and life? 

Well, "it just so happened" (those " " are code for it wasn't a coincidence at all! God set this up!) that Naaman's wife's maidservant knew of a Godly-man (Elisha) who was known for having a prophetic spirit and healing hands. This news got passed on to Naaman and you'd better believe he wanted to see for himself what Elisha could do. Naaman gathered himself and his servant and ventured out to seek the man who could bring him physical healing through the power of God. In the end of those 19 verses, Naaman did in fact find healing from His leprosy, but I discovered that he found something much deeper and more life-changing than physical healing.

Naaman found God.

2 Kings 5:15 says, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel." His suffering through leprosy, his wife's maidservant, his encounter with Elisha, & his physical healing ultimately led to a deeper realization and life change.  

Naaman found God and suddenly his journey of suffering had purpose.

I was overwhelmed (and still am!!) when I realized that his physical suffering/healing ultimately led to a new and deeper understanding of the God of Israel. And then I got to thinking.. what if Naaman never would've walked through leprosy .. he would've never had a reason to go to Elisha .. maybe He would've never had an encounter and understanding of God like He did, had he not been "handed" the leprosy card. Naaman's suffering carried a much deeper purpose and calling than he probably understood while He was walking through it. His suffering led him to understand who God was.

With tears in my eyes, suddenly this story made perfect sense to me. God brought my heartache and suffering into focus and He spoke these precious words to me:

Your suffering comes with a deep purpose and a vast calling. 

I am confident in saying that God will not allow you and me to walk through a season of suffering and pain, without having a purpose for it (we have Naaman's life, and so many others, as an example of that). And I believe that He will never let your suffering go to waste. I know what you're thinking, that it's easy for me to say this to you, because I'm me, not you, and I'm not walking through the suffering that you're facing and have faced. You're right, I'm not walking through your suffering and I don't know what it's like. But can I tell you something? It really isn't easy for me to say these words. Because I've been walking through my own suffering and "wilderness" for quite some time now. I know the weight of suffering (no matter what kind) and the toll it takes on your heart, body, & spirit. I know the days of agony, the nights of loneliness, and the thousands of tears that are shed over pain that doesn't seem fair. I know, sweet friends, I know. But if there's one thing I've learned from my own suffering and from the suffering of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, it is this..

God gives purpose to our pain.

After I finished reading, journaling, & picking my jaw up off the floor because I couldn't believe the Truths that God was revealing to me, I began to pray. I prayed for the things I had just read and learned about and I prayed for the journey of suffering that I've been walking through. I asked God to show me the purpose behind my suffering and what I could do about it for His glory. I asked Him why we walk through suffering ... I felt these 3 things on my heart:

1. To grow our faith
2. To know and experience Jesus in new & deeper ways
3. So that we can minister to others who walk through similar journeys

When I finished praying I thought about those ^^ 3 things that God had just spoken to me. The third one boldly stuck out to me! I love that we serve a God who gives purpose to our pain and allows us to rise above the suffering that we've walked through so that we can relate and minister to others who are walking similar paths. I love that He doesn't allow our pain to go to waste. And that He equips us to minister to others through experience. It's amazing that we serve a God who births redemption into our stories of suffering and we see His hand in them, as He brings others into our lives who are walking what we've walked. I love that our God is a personal, faithful God and that He does not leave us in the midst of suffering, but draws nearer to us so that we can experience Him in new ways. And I love that He has given us stories like Naaman's to relate to, speak through, & encourage us along every day.

I'll leave you with one last Truth that I wrote into my Bible next to Naaman's story:

God allows us suffering and pain for an inward growth and an outward ministry.

I love you friend, I'm always here for you, and I pray these words are an encouragement to your weary soul today and the days to come. XO

He Gave Me a New Heart

Ehh mhm, this is your warning: post is lengthy. If lengthy, wordy posts aren't your jam, feel free to click the "x" up there. But I think (without sounding biased) that this is worth the read :)

picture taken from Pinterest

Has someone ever given you something that you didn't even know you needed or wanted?? Something that was so beneficial for your life that you couldn't imagine living without it, now that it's been given to you? 

     Over the last year I can honestly say that God has slowly given me something that I desperately needed and I didn't even know I wanted.

He has given me a new heart. 

No, I'm not talking about a literal beating in my chest, need surgery for it, kind of heart. I'm talking about the kind of heart that He longs for us to have. The kind that ONLY HE can give. One that is full of grace and compassion. One that strives to build each other up instead of tearing others down and one that longs to speak life into others lives. One that recognizes the sin that most entangles him, yearns to flee from it, and strives to be more like Jesus. This is the kind of heart He's given me and I am so thankful.
     I hope and pray this doesn't come off as arrogant or proud. If anything, I'm asking God to keep my heart from those two things exactly. The reason I'm writing is this: like I've shared before, my desire is to be real and vulnerable with you. I want to let you see a side of me that I am not proud of nor admire about myself. Why? Because I want you to know that I am a real person with ugly sins who desperately needs Jesus' grace and forgiveness on the daily. I want you to know that you are not alone in your struggles. And most importantly I'm here to remind you that no matter how great the sin or how damaged the heart, God can make you new. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 references that exact thing:

"Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. 

The old life is gone; a new life begins!" 

(The Message version)

I feel that I am a living testimony of the above Scripture. God has made me new. I so desperately needed to be made new. You see, all of my life I have had such an ugly heart and tongue. For as long as I can remember, I have struggled with gossip and tearing others down. I've always been quick to join in on negative conversations and giving my two-sense about someone came easily. Gossip has gotten me in trouble a time or twelve two and I've vowed to be and do better. That lasted a day or two and then I always fell back into my old habits. Anyone agree that habits are easy to make and very hard to break?? .. especially when they've been something you've participated in for years and years!

MANY verses throughout Scripture including passages in Proverbs and James 3:1-12, talk about our tongue... how ugly they can be, what damage they can do, & how difficult it is to tame them. God put those in there because He knew we would need them for reference and as reminders. He knew how much of a struggle our tongues would be.

I'll be the first to admit that gossip is a tough one to overcome! It's easy to join in when others are talking and much more difficult/sometimes awkward to not participate. It is "fun", enticing, and seems harmless at the moment. I'm sad to admit that gossip has been like sweet music to my ears more often than not. Fortunately that's just what satan wants us to feel and think when we're in the midst of it. He's good at making gossip look inviting and enjoyable, when it's really heart-threatening and terminal. He's also good at pulling the wool over our eyes and convincing us that what we're doing really isn't that bad. When in fact it is. Gossip and back-biting is really that bad. It is ugly and it is never God-honoring. We have to remember that Scripture (John 8:44) says satan is the father of lies. He does in fact want us to believe his voice and give in to gossip because it is pleasing to his ears. Agh, that just makes me sick .. when I give in to gossip (or whatever sin that entangles you), I'm pleasing satan and his army. I DO NOT WANT TO PLEASE SATAN AND HIS ARMY!!!

Although I didn't have a drastic turning point in this journey, I did have an "ah ha!" moment last week pertaining to all of this .. I was sitting out on my front porch having my quiet time, reading through Scripture, & reflecting on who Jesus is calling me to be when I saw and felt it clear as day.. JESUS HAS GIVEN ME A NEW HEART. Tears flooded my eyes and I began verbally thanking God for what He has done for and to me. My walk with Jesus and our time together has grown immensely in the last year. Slowly He's been revealing to me the things I do that disappoint and grieve him. I'm convinced that my daily, repetitive quiet time with Him is the reason I am aware of this sin and am so desperately striving to be better. I didn't even know I needed a new heart, but He knew. Jesus, full of compassion and new beginnings, knew just what I needed. Writing out these words and praying them over and over has done (and continues to do) a number on my heart:

"Father, reveal to me everything that I do that disappoints and grieves your Spirit. Show me Father, HOW I can be more like you. Help me to be a better reflection of You. Make me more like Your Son, Christ. "

Can I tell you a secret incase no one told you today?? You don't have to give in to satan and his desires anymore! Whether it's gossip that you struggle with or another sin, today can be your day of a fresh start. Starting over. A new heart. Am I saying that once you've been given a new heart you'll never struggle with said sin again? Of course not! You are human and until you get to heaven, you will be battling against satan and his army. I will too. But if you know Jesus then you have the victory and power through His name to overcome the desire to give in and the opportunity to be made new. It won't always be easy and it won't be convenient, but it will be worth it. Because Jesus is worth every inconvenience and every difficult moment. I believe in you and more importantly our Jesus believes in You. After all, He did die to make you (and me) new.