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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

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When You Wonder Who You Would Have Been

Some seasons of our stories are so challenging, they invest themselves into who we become, leaving a clear before and after in their dust.

We hold these moments close, protective of their scars, as they nestle deep within our personalities, affecting the way we view ourselves and others.

Perhaps someone who was supposed to love you, didn’t — leaving a hole your heart struggles to mend from a rejection it can’t understand. Maybe a diagnosis or tragedy interrupted your plans, and you long for a do-over. Perhaps you’re heartsick from a betrayal that also betrayed your dreams of happily ever after.

Whatever the hurts of our lives, our meandering minds aren’t shy about chasing illusions, wondering who we would have been had certain chapters been absent from our stories. How easily we question whether our insecurities and struggles might be exchanged for confidence and calm had suffering not inked itself upon our yesterdays.

Over the years, as I’ve asked myself who I would have been without the disappointments of my life, God has lovingly shown me that every human answer I assume discounts His divine print on the pages of my story.

Time and again, Scripture reveals the Lord’s delight in using broken people, shaping what would have been into something full of purpose and abundance.

While Jesus walked this earth, He and His companions weren’t immune to disappointment and heartache either. John shares one such account when Jesus received a message from close friends, Martha and Mary, informing Jesus that their brother Lazarus was sick. Jesus was only a day’s journey from Bethany where Lazarus lived, yet His reaction seemed confusing: “… although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days” (John 11:5-6).

Finally, four days after Lazarus’s death, Jesus arrived in Bethany to the same heart-wrenching words from both Martha and Mary, “… Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, 32, NLT).

Oh friend, how many times have we spoken our own versions of these words, too — wondering what might have been had the Lord not allowed our wounds to linger?

But, let us not miss the comfort in this passage, as Jesus shares His reason for waiting, “… it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this” (John 11:4b, NLT).

John continues painting the scene as Jesus miraculously raised Lazarus from the dead, resulting in many people believing in Him as the true Son of God. (John 11:34-44)

Sister, nothing is beyond His redeeming reach. Our sorrows aren’t too great for God to find His glory in them.

The brokenness that causes us to wonder who we would have been finds its upside-down way of being a grace.

You see, right before Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave, He prayed aloud to God His Father, “You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me” (John 11:42, NLT). Jesus wasn’t late to heal Lazarus; rather, His timing allowed for the awakening of more hearts than one that day.

We may not sense it amidst suffering, but the experiences written on the pages of our lives aren’t random. Each chapter influences the next, shaping our passions and compassions, our understanding and wisdom in ways that also would not have been had we not known the sorrow.

When we look beyond who we woulda, coulda, shoulda been, surrendering our scars to the Savior, our imperfect stories testify to the power of God to resurrect seemingly dead things for His glory.

Happy New Year, friend! Consider some ways you might re-center in 2021. How might you release the disappointments of your life, opening your heart anew to God’s narrative of your story?

We’d love for you to join the conversation over at Proverbs 31 Ministries today. ♥


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  1. Missy Hegenberger says

    January 8, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    How this message touched my heart. I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression for the last twelve years, along with being in therapy about the hurts and disappointments from my childhood. My husband and I have three adult, biological sons, and are currently raising our two adopted daughters, from China. I do see where God is using my brokenness to give me compassion and understanding of the devastating trauma that was the very beginning of my daughters’ lives. So, my daily prayer is for God’s healing for my girls and myself.

    Reply
    • Brenda says

      January 8, 2021 at 10:33 pm

      ((Hug,)) Missy. Bless you, friend. I’m so sorry to hear of your struggles. Depression and anxiety is so difficult; I’ve been there myself at times. Will pray for you, your girls, and your family. God bless you, sweet sister. ♥

      Reply

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Friend, no matter what you’ve been through…hea Friend, no matter what you’ve been through…healing isn’t hopeless.
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So often it can feel easier to tamp hurt upon hurt deep into our spirits, than to do a new thing.
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But, friend, our God is a God of fresh beginnings who makes pathways through the wilderness and steams in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)
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You don’t walk alone, for His kindness and faithfulness walk with you through it all.
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This book _Good Boundaries and Goodbyes_ by @lysaterkeurst is a beautifully honest resource for learning to understand & create healthy, Godly boundaries in our lives.
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About 5-6 years ago I started doing this thing tha About 5-6 years ago I started doing this thing that, at the time, didn’t feel like anything radical or life-changing.
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These days, I typically go from 6-7pm to 1-2pm. My body has adapted and most days it’s very easy. Often, I’d fast longer except that I take supplements that keep me awake at night if I take them too late in the day.
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No matter what your goals are this year, whether they’re health or relational or work related, it’s okay to go slow. It’s okay to get off track by January 10th and start over again.
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All is progress, my friend. Baby steps count. 💕
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As I sit here, now seven days into being sick, I s As I sit here, now seven days into being sick, I search for words of hope and inspiration to meet us here on this beautiful fresh ground called 2023.
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