Remember who you were before life got hard...

Life is not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. It’s just not...you’re going to go through some hard times, you’re going to face challenges and obstacles others may never know anything about but I can tell you the hard stuff is never without a purpose. God is shaping you , refining you, and redefining you through the hard stuff so that you will be equipped to carry out his plans he has for you. Life can be hard sometimes. Like, really hard!! Sometimes people that I thought would always be there or should be there for me, haven’t been. Sometimes I’ve poured myself emotionally empty into someone’s life just to have them walk away without a clear understanding of why. Sometimes we go through some hard things and we find out that the ones we’ve always showed up for aren’t always necessarily going to be there for us in return. Sometimes you’re going to be betrayed by people in your circle of faith or you’ll find church leaders that let you down.  Sometimes when you go through a rough season you will feel all alone and undone. Sometimes the people you looked up to are going to fail you. Sometimes you will put on a mask trying to pretend that the hard stuff doesn’t hurt you. Sometimes the enemy will come and try to steal your peace and cloud your vision because he knows after your breakthrough you will be unstoppable. So he tries to put obstacle after obstacle in your path to distract you from your purpose... God’s mission for you. Don’t you ever give up. Don’t let the storm you’re in define who you were made to be. Remember who you were before life got hard, when you were full of innocence, dreams, and hopeful expectation. Let the hurtful events serve as a reminder of how far you’ve come, but don’t let it hold you there because God has plans that far exceeds all of that. He knows the plans he has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.