Encouragement

The God Of New Beginnings

by Brandon Braddy
07/26/23
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Zechariah 4: 6-10 (Kjv)

    There are times in our lives when we cannot see ahead of us clearly, we may not think that our situations will ever change for the better, but instead we believe we are stuck in our present and painful circumstances, only destined to always repeat them for as long as we live. If you do not or have never actually felt this way, I for one have, but I trust that I am not alone in this. Years ago, as just a child, I was diagnosed with a certain disability, I believe it was probably several years later that I was diagnosed again with another disability, and then with a learning disability. The first two diagnoses caused me the most hardships, I could not function through the years well like others around me, and it was either my disabilities or the medication I was on at the time that would cause me to have depression, I wished either to be "normal" like other people, like other kids my age, or I wished I could die, on several occasions I cried out words of this sort while in tears, God just strike me down, take me out, just kill me now! I remember these times of the past clearly, I still remember the symptoms born from my disabilities. Still to this day, many years later from those painful times, I still, due to my learning disability, cannot tell you many math equations, I cannot tell you who the first president was in history, I could guess and probably would get it wrong from the top of my head, many things I do not understand, and one part of my learning diagnoses is that I have difficulty reading social ques from people at times. But in spite of my past hardships as well as present weak areas I still have, I have learned some lessons because of them, while all my disabilities are still part of me, they are the three main pieces that form just some of who I am, and though God has helped me with and through the painful and hard struggles I have went through in life from the symptoms of these diagnoses), I still have all of my diagnoses, but God has brought me to an amazing place in life, God changes situations, He makes better out of worse, I want to say to anyone reading, who yes, even if you do not have struggles with disabilities this is written with hopes you will read this and be encouraged, but if you are reading this and you are struggling greatly with a diagnoses, a handicap as it has been called commonly, if you struggle with a disability or more than one, I want to tell you from experience because I have lived it, you are more than you might think you are, especially to Jesus, I am speaking as someone who has disabilities, but also as someone who has seen God do wonders in His own life, I speak as one who is also a Christian, saved by God's wonderful grace. So I could tell you if you are struggling that things will get better for you, things will change, just have faith, but I know also if you are struggling, hurting, going through something painful, most-likely even something I know little or nothing about, that I have no right or reason to say those things, unless maybe I have experienced what you have went through, or what you are facing right at this moment. My God-given mission on this earth, one of them is to share my story and the thoughts God gives to me to share, as I have already done today, but I am not God, so I will not try to say something in order to immediately fix your pain, my goal is not to play God and force you to be comforted, but I am only writing this to share what God has placed upon my heart to share today along with the comfort God has brought my way, and hope and pray it encourages the readers, simply put, to share my God story with you, and give God time and room to work in your heart and life, and let you take what you may from my true God story of how He makes a difference and has brought me a long way from where I was for the better, and all to His glory alone. I would like to say, though it may help some, and it may not help others, I probably have no clue what situations some who reading this may be going through right now, but I can only share what I have learned through what I have faced in life, and I believe God has placed all of this on my heart to write, so I must obey my heavenly Father. When you think things, situations, even certain people will never change for the better, it is God alone who sees the better way He has in store. Many times I did not see the good things God had in store for me, but today I see God's goodness has followed me all the days of my life so far, He has been good to me, His word is true, it says He works all things for good to those who love Him. When I look back now, I see that He has worked many good things out of the hard, the bad, the pain, the tears, and I thank Him for carrying me this far. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above anything we ask or think. He does not make junk, only treasure, that is how God sees you, as his treasure. He thinks about you in good ways, He has you on His mind, He loves you, and He watches over you. And He can use you to accomplish great things to show how amazing He is. Just always know that there are no limits with God and what He is able to do in your life, and through your life. If you feel stuck, like things will always remain the way they are, this may sound a bit cliche, but I know it to be true, God can still make a way when there seems to be none, if you feel like you are at a dead end road going only one way, and then suddenly the road stops, and it seems to be that there is no other way out, or no way of turning around, God is a God who can change things, He is the God of new beginnings, He made the flowers to bloom, the birds to sing, and the same One who did those two things, also can turn things around and make things new again in your life, there are no limits to His power and His love for you. In Zechariah 4: 6-10, God sends an angel to speak with a man named, Zerubabbel. One of the things shown to this man is that as mentioned in verse 6, it will not be his own might or power that the project God has given him to undertake will be accomplished, but it will be by God and His ability that the temple Zerubabbel builds for Him shall be completed. In verse 7 the questioned is asked: Who art thou O great mountain? This question stands as a reminder to Zerubabbel as well as toward all who desire to accomplish something in order to show forth the greatness of who God is, it reminds us, the people of God, disability or not, that if God is for us and what we are trying to do for His glory alone, then who shall be against us, or what obstacles can stand in our away, it reminds us that God can use one person even, even one, to make a difference, to accomplish great things in the name of our God. If you think yourself small in your own eyes, if you think you cannot be used by God, or that you are not good enough, so to speak, to be loved by, or used by the Lord, then the big question is, Who hath despised the day of small things? You are very much in the bigger and very capable hands of a loving and merciful God. No matter how you view yourself, just please know, God can take our very little and give the increase, and turn it into very much. You are the prize in His eyes, and He is the God who can turn things around, please know He can take the bad and make it better, He can take the struggles and make you stronger through them, He can take the seasons of our lives, and make the withered flowers bloom again all around us, so God can absolutely turn things for the better in our own lives, and He absolutely can use us to do amazing things He has prepared for us since the beginning of time.