change

She’s comfortable in her skin.

Those are the words the radio host said as she introduced me to her listeners.

I want to introduce Suzie Eller, a woman who is the most comfortable in her skin of anyone I’ve ever met.

I almost missed my cue. Her words took me by surprise.

What surprised me the most is that they are true — and believe me they didn’t used to be.

There was a time that I was in my twenties and insecurity was my trademark. I hid it well, but it surfaced at all the wrong times. It made me hold on to things that weren’t healthy, like doubt or uninvited guilt.

It made me question myself, rather than just settle in and live life fully.

When did the insecurity leave?

It left in bits and pieces, usually in the harder places of my faith.

The more I depended on God — because I didn’t have the answers, or because it was way bigger than me — the more I learned about myself.

I was strong, in Him.

I was resilient, because of my faith.

God saw things inside of me that I could not, and trials and storms brought them out.

This was my silver lining.

You and I were never promised a comfortable life,

but we are promised a changed life as we follow Jesus.

When I look at who I became in those harder places, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Now, let’s be real. That’s easier to say when you are on the other side of the storm. ♥

So we hold on to the Word when we are in a trial.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Perfect. Complete. Needing nothing.

Is that the same as feeling comfortable in your skin?

I think it might. We’re still human. We’ll always need Jesus and depend on Him. We’ll make mistakes and find mercy as we confess and grow through them.

Yet, we know where our strength comes from.

We know where to go.

We rest in our faith and celebrate in His goodness.

Hey, that excites me! 

That’s what is available to all of us, and it can be our greatest surprise in the storm. You and I can come out on the other side of a trial stronger, our endurance greater, and our trust in Him our greatest treasure.

Share one surprise that came out of your greatest trial. Let’s celebrate that together!

Suzie