‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-4‬
“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.”
-NLT‬‬

“Preparation is not fun but necessary!” as my friend Natalie rightly put it. This statement created a lightbulb moment for me lol! God speaks all the time and He uses any and everything to speak to us.

How did this trigger this statement?
Now when a woman is pregnant, her last trimester can be a bit long and dragging. There are so many symptoms a woman experiences but one significant one is the lack of sleep. She can wake up at odd hours either to use the bathroom or because she is uncomfortable.

It could also be the kicking and movement of the baby which makes it more difficult for her to find rest. And this is usually because the body is preparing her mind for the sometimes sleepless nights after the baby is born. Now the preparation to the arrival of the baby is not pleasant but very necessary.

And although she would want to skip that process, she must still go through with it. Nevertheless, the arrival of her child springs up some joy within her making her forget her ordeal or discomfort. The same with us, some mountains and problems look and feel like they are dragging and never ending.

Some of these tests keep us up at night. Some of these problems cause a lot of discomfort and pain within us (James 5:7-8). But the truth is, it is preparation towards something greater which God has in store for us (James 1:2). It may have been days, weeks, months or even years waiting for the manifestation in your life and it seems and looks impossible.

Today I want you to see those stumbling blocks and problems as preparation for something greater. It’s not fun I know but it’s necessary for you. Because in that preparation stage there’s growth, there’s maturity, there’s total dependence on God to pull you through and above all, you develop strength and resilience for what is ahead of you (James 1:4).

I do not know the stage of preparation you are at currently, but what I can tell you is that it’s necessary! See it as a pregnant woman in her last trimester waiting for her baby’s arrival! The pain and tiredness will come but you will push through because you know the victory ahead of you!

I pray that God grants you new strength as you go through this journey. I ask that the Holy Spirit will be your comforter and your Helper in every step of the way. And may He open your eyes to see what He has prepared for you as you pull through this! (James 1:5&12).

We can’t give up now!
We can’t fail Him now!
We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us – Philippians 4:13
Be encouraged!
Know that you have someone interceding for you – Romans 8:34 / Hebrews 7:25
God loves you too much to lose you!
We can do this!

…Inspired by the Holy Spirit ️