How to thrive in the ruins

Life was good. I thought everything was going well until it wasn’t. Suddenly, there were some sharp turns in the roads of life, and I found myself in the ruins. Deep in despair. Have you been there?
One minute you are thriving in life. You are on the mountaintop and feeling blessed. All smiles. Yes, life is good until tragedy sucker punches you from behind and tosses you into a sinking pit of ruins.
The ruins may look different for each of us. For some, it may be the heavy weight of grief or the grip of trauma and shame. It could be an unexpected job loss, illness, or injury. Maybe it’s suffering from depression, worrying about finances, or struggling in a broken relationship. Betrayal. Addiction. Watching our kids suffer, losing a friend, or dissolving a marriage.
Our ruins may look different, but we all recognize the pain and the sleepless nights. We struggle to get out of bed with heartache swelling inside of our chest.
The ruins are no fun. They are not something we look forward to, yet we land there. Unexpected. Smack dab in the middle of misery.
This verse doesn’t promise us a pain-free existence. It warns us that we will have trouble. Bad things will happen. We will find ourselves in the ruins.
The big question is how will we respond? How can we possibly thrive in the ruins when we are heavy with despair? What do we need to do?
Next weekend, I will share this message of “How to Thrive in the Ruins” at the Boundless Sisterhood Women’s conference, and we will look at Tamar’s story to discover what it takes to thrive in the ruins. If you are struggling or find yourself in the ruins of life, I pray you will join us and be encouraged to thrive no matter your circumstances. If you have friends that live near Durham, NC, who could use some sweet fellowship and encouragement, please invite them and bring them with you. Tickets are only $25 and include lunch. The conference starts at 9 am (doors open at 8:30 am) on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at LifeSpring Church at 3707 Garrett Rd. Durham, NC 27707
To register and find out more about the speakers, visit www.boundlesssisterhood.com.
Are you ready to Thrive?