Nothing Stays Bad Forever.
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…”
– Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT
My life is pretty amazing right now, but I remember so many days when my heart felt heavy and hopeless. I vividly remember helping my mom sweep the kitchen floor when I was about 4 years old. I was holding the dustpan still as she brushed dirt into it. She was crying as we cleaned and her tears were falling on my hands as she stood sweeping above me. I looked up at her and saw the heartbreak on her face. I knew why she was crying - my father. His reign of torment was the reason we all cried back then. I felt an unbearable need to comfort her, and quietly prayed for something to say. I believe God answered my prayer because it was impossible for a kid to know what I said next. In the most reassuring voice I could muster, I told her, “Mama, we’re gonna get through this. Absolutely nothing in life can stay bad forever.” In that moment, this bit of truth helped us both…. My mom and I would continue to reference that day and repeat that phrase until the day she died.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” -Matthew 5:4 CSB
“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” – Galatians 6:9 CSB
“Nothing stays bad forever” has become a sobering but triumphant banner waving over my life. The abuse which threatened to crush us both that day continued until I was 18 years old and moved out on my own. Since then, life has taken on a cyclical theme of rising and falling and rising again. In my young adulthood, I have fallen so much, but God has always helped me up. And I’ll enjoy that good place for a while, until it is time to learn, and grow, and push through difficulties again. To me, life is like a Ferris wheel. There are highs with an incredible view and lows that seem to take forever, connected by a middle where nothing seems to be happening – but it’s all connected, and you can’t take one season without the others. Every bit of the journey around this revolving wheel of life is important. The high points make me feel so glad to be alive. The trenches remind me that I am a survivor, that I have successfully gotten through every single low point in my life so far; I will navigate and grow from this one, too.
“…Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity]; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.”
-Isaiah 43:1-2 AMP
I endured 18 years of abuse that spanned the entirety of my childhood. According to my mother, I was beaten for the first time before I was a year old by my father, and the last time by a different family member when I was 18. I got away as soon as I could, and though my life is drastically different now, of course my mind drifts back to where I used to be. Hardly a day passes when I don’t wake up in the cozy home I share with my husband, see his sweet smile as he gives me good morning smooches, and thank the Good Lord with something like…”Wow, thank you God for seeing me through all of that and bringing me to this beautiful place.”
“But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive!”
-Psalm 54:4 NLT
“And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.”
-Romans 8:28 AMP
The truth is, life moves forward.
Seasons change, the sun comes out again.
Tormentors fall and peace takes their place.
Wounds heal through time and God’s grace.
The wheel continues to turn, continuing to deepen our challenges, but also enhance our hard-won view. Unless you have lived in true, heart-jolting fear for an extended amount of time, you can’t appreciate the miracle of finally being able to live without it. I would like to end this lesson with some hope for anyone who has been in the trenches for a while, and perhaps you are crying into your dust-pan today, just trying to hold it together. This is not how your story ends.
“The Lord is good, a strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.”
-Nahum 1:7 AMP
“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.”
-Isaiah 40:31 AMP
Dear friend, don’t believe the lie hopelessness tries to tell you - that nothing will ever get better. No, no, this too will pass. The people who didn’t know how to love you will be removed to make room for those who do. You will survive, and soon after that, you will thrive.
Love you,
-Kelly
