Friday, October 28, 2016

Words of Faith: Sara Ella's story of heartbreak and hope

Brokenhearted Faith
A Words of Faith story by Sara Ella

“The Spirit of YHWH is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;” (Luke 4:18).

Let’s get real here. Because at this point in this year I don’t know how else to be. In some ways, this has been the greatest year of my life. My debut novel recently released, a dream come true. I had the opportunity to go to Nashville to see my friends, attend a writer’s conference, and visit my publishing house. My kids are thriving in homeschool and I’ve gotten to see my out-of-state family more than usual.

But, in many ways, this has also been, by far, the worst year of my life.

I won’t go into all the gory details. But I will say this year has shattered my heart in every way imaginable. I’ve experienced betrayal, loss, feelings of worthlessness, and depression, to name a few. It got to the point at which I felt my Creator had abandoned me. Why was He letting this happen? How could He watch as my heart was trampled, and beaten, and thrown away?

And then that still small voice whispered, “Read Job.”

Of course. I knew exactly what that meant. I knew Job’s story. I didn’t need to read it again to recall what that man went through. I ho-hummed my way to my Bible and opened it. Then I began to read. And here’s the verse that stuck out to me:

“. . . Shall we accept good from Elohim, and not trouble? . . .” Job 2:10.

Just wow. Isn’t it amazing how we can read something we’ve read before, but it has a totally new meaning when set in the current context of our lives? This verse was for me and it’s stayed with me through this horrible, no-good year. Because who am I to say I will only accept the best from my Creator? Am I not his child? And does He not put those He loves through trials only to make us stronger in the end? To sharpen our faith and draw us closer to Him? It’s all a matter of perspective, really. I can look at this year and think, “Wow. God must really hate me.” OR I can choose to “rejoice in all things” and praise Him for molding me. For allowing me this trial, which in the future could even turn into a ministry opportunity. My experience may help others. How can I not be grateful for that?

My heart is still on the mend. I’m healing, hour by hour, and day by day. But through it all, my Messiah has loved me. He’s held my broken heart in His hands and carried me through the storm. And that’s the thing, my friends. The storm. Because for the longest time, I stood on the shores of my situation, afraid to really go through it. But then my King nudged me and I felt Him asking me if I trusted Him to be with me in that storm. It took a while, but I finally stepped off the shore and into His arms. The waves chopped and crashed, my heart nearly drowned, but at last I am beginning to see the beautiful light on the other side. Not once has my Creator abandoned me. As broken as I’ve been, He’s kept me intact. Because that’s what brokenhearted faith is—giving your heart and life over to the One who heals the broken hearted. To the one who carries you through.

Are you experiencing a tragedy or heartbreak? Is your life a storm today? If you’re willing to share in the comments, I would love to pray for you.

~*~
Author bio: 
Not so long ago, SARA ELLA dreamed she would marry a prince (just call her Mrs. Charming) and live in a castle (a.k.a. The Plaza Hotel). Though her fairy tale didn’t quite turn out as planned, she did work for Disney—that was an enchanted moment of its own. 

Now she spends her days throwing living room dance parties for her two princesses and conquering realms of her own imaginings. 

She believes “Happily Ever After is Never Far Away” for those who put their faith in the King of kings.

~*~
Connect with Sara:
Website - http://saraella.com
Posted by at
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 28, 2016 at 11:02 AM

    Job is an inspiration to me as well. Best wishes, Sara.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laura A. GraceOctober 29, 2016 at 1:39 PM

    I love you Sara and though I know it's not my fault, I'm sorry for all the struggles you have been through! This past summer felt one of the worse times in my life since my Dad died when I was in 4th grade. I hated my life and felt like I was consistently plagued with thoughts of suicide for the first time ever. It was so hard and remember shouting our many of Job's words. I felt God didn't love me and that He took joy in seeing me suffer. Praise God for one of my best friend's who God used to encourage me in my darkest hour! I felt I needed to let go of many things and fully trust in Him. I don't remember the exact moment, but my faith is so much stronger then it has ever been. I am so thankful that He is always holding us in His hands! Praying for you!!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)