A stumbling block became my stepping stone

Pain and hard times are not fun.  

Ask me how I know.

But what I keep coming back to and see as a resounding theme in my life and in the lives of others is this:

Pain and hard times shape our character.   We get to choose how we will respond to these things.

Our options are simple: Bitterness or Betterness (I made that word up.)

By God's grace, I am a better person than I would have been if I hadn't experienced the painful and hard times in my life.  But I trace this back to a very specific place;  a very difficult place of pain and a time when an older woman looked me directly in the eye and said,

"You can choose how you will respond to this. You can become bitter, or you can become better."  

That painful moment, a stumbling block, was really a stepping stone and I didn't know it.

"Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you.  I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.  Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice."  The Message Psalm 51: 16-17

The Lord is faithful to his people.  He will never let you go or abandon you.  Ask me how I know.

The choice is yours.  Bitter or Better?  

Here is one resource that changed my thinking and therefore, changed my life.  It alerted me to the danger of being and staying offended. Offense can lead to bitterness.

The Bait of Satan - Offense

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