“The Other Side of Through” - God’s Wisdom in Due Season

I recently ran into a former church member who told me that this article, which I wrote in 2002 for a church newsletter, is something that she still reads and is blessed by it. I asked her to send it to me to share it with you. I hope there is something in it that will bless you! (THANK YOU GOD, for using me to be a blessing to another!)

The Other Side Of Through - God's Wisdom in Due Season

Bought sense. That’s what my Mother always called it. It was what you gained AFTER you had experienced something. It was the lesson you carried with you from that day forward. As a Christian, it is the wisdom of God springing forth out of a difficult situation. It is where you land when you arrive on the other side of through. You know what “through” is, right? It’s when you’ve cried all night long, or you are in a situation that you have no solution to, or when you just can’t seem to pull yourself up out of that depression that you’re in and people ask you, “What is wrong?” and you can only reply “I’m just going through”. Milton Bignon has a song that reminds us “there’s a blessing on the other side of through.”

I recently was reflecting on the number of “throughs” that I have survived and also in the deliverance received in the series of messages by Pastor Ogletree on “It’s My Time”. Is it really my time, I asked myself? Is it my season? In arriving on the other side of my latest “through”, God revealed to me the essence of what “your time and season” really is.

The four seasons or nature’s cycle are all something that we are familiar with, and each season takes approximately 3 months to complete itself. So when we hear the words “it’s your season or it’s your time”, we immediately think that our prayers will be answered instantaneously, or at least by the end of the next season. We begin to rejoice! In three months, everything will be alright! But wait….we are still on God’s time, not our time, and the amount of time that is necessary for us to complete our season or our cycle is completely dependent upon where we are in our walk with God. There are different elements of your season just as there are different elements of each season of nature. Recognizing that you are in need of God’s guidance in your life is one element. Growing in your knowledge of the word is another element. Recognizing that Momma’s relationship with God is not yours is another element. Examining where you are in your personal relationships and removing the toxic people from your surroundings is another element. A few weeks ago someone emailed me a list of statements that I sat down and compared it to the bits of wisdom that God has given to me in arriving at the other side of through. I will share some of these with you.

1. “When you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done”. A college degree was something that I never thought I would achieve. There was always an “if only” standing between the degree and myself. One day, I decided that I would find a program that would allow me to work, be a good mother, and obtain my degree. I didn’t know how I would pay for it or even if I would qualify for financial aid. That was in October of 1999. I began at LeTourneau University in January of 2000 and I will graduate this December with a degree in Business Management. Never say never.

2. “What you are willing to move away from determines what God will bring to you.” Bishop McLaughlin shared with us on Sunday about running to meet our giants. My giant is insecurity. I stand witness to you today that every time I face that insecurity head on, God allows me to achieve my goal. I always felt that I was too tall, too large, too dark, hair too short, etc. to do anything that was associated with “beauty”. Last year, I faced that giant of insecurity and entered the Miss American Achievement pageant. I won the city title, state title, and ultimately became first runner up for the national title. I moved away from fear, and God brought me accomplishment.

3. “God never consults your past to determine your future.” There are things in my past that I am not proud of, just as there are in yours. If I continued to keep my head down because of the things that I had not been able to do in the past, I wouldn’t have seen the doors and windows opening to me for the new improved and exciting blessings that God has lay before me now and in the future. This too shall pass - let it go. God has prepared us and is preparing us for exactly where we need to be in his kingdom, and he knows what he has brought us through to get there.

4. “The only difference between your present and your future is your wisdom.” My personal relationships have left a lot to be desired, and as a result, I remain a single woman – but I tell you, I would rather wait for the BEST man that God is preparing for me than settle for the GOOD man that I think I need. Stand still and know that with God ALL things are possible.

We all make mistakes, and will continue to do so. Just remember that the joy is in knowing that with each mistake, there is wisdom to be gained and a step to be made. With each step you get closer to the desires of your heart and the riches that God has prepared just for you. Don’t be discouraged by the storms that come your way, just know that ‘through” is something that we all experience. You have either been through, are going through, or are about to go through – but know that there is a blessing, and added wisdom in the elements of your season, on the other side of through.

THEN AND NOW….

This was written 7 years ago, and yes, I still go through, and I still reflect on these aspects of what God is trying to show me as a result of whatever it is I am going through. I did get my Bachelor's degree; I also completed my Master's degree in Education in 2006 and am working on my PhD. I got married to a man that I thought was the man for me – he was a GOOD man, but not the BEST man that God has for me - and now I am divorced. I continue to strive for the prize that is awaiting me at the end of each lesson. I continue to examine who and what is in my life and whether or not it should remain there, and I tell you, EVERY TIME that I REMOVE some garbage from my life GOD SHOWERS ME WITH GOODNESS!! I am not as insecure as I used to be. Do I question things – yes, sometimes, but don’t get it twisted, I am a FABULOUSLY FIERCE DIVINE DIVA! I am a BEAUTIFUL woman with a huge heart and a loving spirit – and NOTHING you do will take that away from me! It IS who God created me to be – and the FAKE in you cannot remove the REAL in me! (Sorry, I had a moment..LOL!)

Now with these thoughts in mind, WHY LAWD, WHY, wouldn’t you look FORWARD to the OTHER SIDE of THROUGH?!?!