Jennifer Slattery

Discouragement, fatigue, and feelings of defeat are perhaps the most powerful vision destroyers and faith derailers. These emotions, often fed through negative thinking, paralyze God's people. I know, because I've allowed momentary setbacks, lack of results or response from others to hinder my productivity—my obedience—on numerous occasions.

I knew something was seriously wrong the moment I answered my phone. My sister-in-law choked back tears as she told me that a doctor had just diagnosed my 88-year-old mother with a life-threatening condition. “She has twenty minutes to talk with each of her kids and to decide whether or not to have surgery,” she said. Twenty minutes to choose between life or death. The clock was ticking.

But just as life ignites our enemy to attack us with death, so his attacks spur God to unleash unconquerable bursts of life. In the first century, He did this by inspiring His persecuted children to share the gospel in each place to which they’d fled.

ut God has shown me, while He is pleased when I guard what I say—the Holy Spirit has given me the gift of self-control, after all—He’s not so thrilled when I suppress and deny my feelings. Instead, He wants me to investigate and untangle them. To get to their root.

God lovingly prepares and assures us as well. He answers our questions, strengthens our hearts, and ignites our passions so that we can more boldly follow Him. Our callings? They won’t always be easy. Life this side of heaven rarely is. But we can hold tight to the same promise Christ gave His disciples, when He shined so brightly before them: His glory extends far beyond this severely broken world, and one day, we will be fully surrounded by His light.

During the financial crisis in the late 2000s, my husband and I couldn’t keep up with the house payments on our upside-down mortgage and we barely had money for groceries. After much prayer, we felt God asking us to let go of the material thing we were clinging to so that our hands were free to grip tightly to Him.

When Christ died a cruel death for our sin, He never denied our offenses against Him. He forgave us because we couldn’t save ourselves. I can’t be like Christ and save anyone, but I can forgive them.

Years ago, in the middle of what felt like a crisis, God challenged me to consider how deep my loyalties lay. Really, to consider who He truly was to me. Would I treat Him as a Genie or a motivational guru who offered plithy words of affirmation when I needed an emotional boost, or would I live as if He truly was my Lord?

Daughter. Can you sense the tenderness in that word? She went from being “the woman who suffered from the issue of blood,” to hearing Christ call her daughter—the only woman in Scripture Christ referred to as such. And in this, He proclaimed to her and to all those watching, that they were not to consider her unclean.

For many, the past couple years have been rough, exhausting, and frightening. Some of you have been hit by one difficulty after another. And maybe, while feeling pummeled on every side, you're wondering where God is. If He sees you, and most importantly, if He's with you in this mess. Today's guest blogger wants to help you see God, and His heart, amidst life's storms.

We learn the most about God during our most violent storms. Have you noticed that? In part because that’s when life squeezes our deepest doubts, sometimes those we’re not even aware of, to the surface. His goal? Complete freedom in every part of our souls.

Ever try to sum up your life in a bullet-list? It’s a weird, sometimes painful, sometimes hilarious exercise in self-absorption (if I’m generous, self-healing) that I tried one lonely New Year’s Day 13 years ago.

How liberating when I learned: Seeing the yuck in our lives means we're in God's presence. Jesus illuminates the dirt in our hearts so we can repent. Feeling remorse for our failings is good.

And so, for a time, I robbed myself of the greatest gift Christ died to give me—intimacy with Him. During that time, I continued to carry out all the appropriate religious acts. I read my Bible each morning. Went to church every Sunday. Prayed before meals and taught our daughter the truths of Scripture.

Through all this Ruth persevered, not knowing what lay ahead, not knowing that every step of surrendered obedience was leading her to her calling.