Past Experiences

The third area Craig Groeschel says to consider when trying to discover God’s vision for your life is your past experiences, both painful experiences and good ones.

This is actually an interesting time for me to be considering my past experiences; every November I tend to think back to the past, to some experiences in November 2001. What happened during that time was painful and difficult, and it changed my life in so many ways. To keep this post as short as possible, I’ll just briefly touch on what happened; 7 years ago in November I found out I was pregnant with Elijah. What you wouldn’t normally expect to be a painful and difficult circumstance was, very much so- because I was 17 and still in my senior year of high school. A lot of painful words and emotions are seared on my memory, and each year as November begins, I find myself reflecting on those times.

I absolutely believe that God has used and will continue to use that painful experience. Because of it, I have personally experienced a lot of things that I may not have experienced otherwise. I know what it’s like to be brought lower than I ever thought I could be. I know what it’s like to be humbled and have my pride stripped away (I’ll admit it, I had a lot of pride before that). I know what it’s like to find myself in a situation that I never thought I would be in, a situation I had previously looked down on. I know what it’s like to disappoint other people. I know what it’s like to be talked about, made fun of, and looked down on. I know what it’s like to feel like a statistic. I know what it’s like to struggle- personally, in relationships, financially.

But thank God, I also know what it’s like to persevere through hard times. I know what it’s like to work hard in spite of adversity and to make it through on the other side a better person. I know what it’s like to work through those early months and years of marriage, and to be in a marriage that has grown in amazing ways. I know what it’s like to love other people more than myself. I know what it’s like to sacrifice willingly out of love for others. I know what it’s like to receive help, guidance, and support from family, friends, and community.

That experience changed me in so many ways- probably more than I realize. There are certainly other experiences in my past, both good and bad, that have shaped who I am and that God is using, but that is the biggest one I can think of. I feel that because of that experience, I can empathize with people who are struggling, going through their own personal hell in their circumstances, their family, their marriage, their finances. And I feel like I can encourage and support them through those things and help them come out successfully on the other side.