Chosen Grace

Happy October, everyone! We made it to the tenth month of 2021! It’s flying by so fast. But- let’s take it one day at a time. Any who- happy reading. This blog post is special….

Most of us have been to the funeral of a loved one. This step in the grieving process is often times the hardest part. It is at the funeral that you may truly see for the first time that the person being laid to rest is actually gone….and that is the part that actually sucks. But, you go through the process anyway. After the funeral, you begin to take those first steps to moving forward- never forgetting the loved one you lost though.

Like the passing of a loved one, there will be times in our lives where we have to endure what I like to call “the buried season”. And I’m not talking about a physicals burial, I’m talking about being buried spiritually.

The buried season is not a pleasant season. This season is scary. It can be dark, lacking any light. This season can be uncertain- because when you are buried spiritually, you can’t see anything but the darkness that surrounds you. And this darkness can take on the form of many forms: failing a class, struggling financially, lacking true friends.

Many of you reading this may be in a buried season. And if you are- you most certainly are not alone. In fact, many of our biblical heroes went through their own buried seasons:

• Hannah as she prayed earnestly for a child (1 Samuel 1)
• David as he hid from King Saul in a cave (1 Samuel 24)
• Queen Esther as she pondered how to help the Jews (Esther 4)
• Elijah as he feared Jezebel (1 Kings 19)

The list above is certainly longer than that, but I think you get the picture. You see, as you endure a buried season- just know that you are not alone. If the people in the Bible had to endure and conquer it- so can you.

To be honest with you all, I’ve had my fair share of buried seasons- and they truly are not my favorite. As I’ve said in a lot of previous blog posts, I like to know the ins and outs of everything. And as I’ve also mentioned- sometimes God won’t allow me to see too far ahead and He’ll keep me in a buried season. However-throughout my experience, God has revealed to me that everything will work out for my good (Romans 8:28). And that’s what I want to tell you all today: there is beauty in the buried season. In fact, God revealed to me that there are 3 main reasons to celebrate a buried season.

The first beauty of the buried is that in it you will bear more fruit. You see, while it may be dark and scary in the buried season- be assured that God is pruning you (John 15). Just as a farmer cuts the branches of some of his crop so they can bear more fruit, so does God. God is The Vinedresser. And sometimes He must prune us to prepare us for bloom. The pruning can look like God taking away some bad habits, removing certain people from our lives, or just causing us to spend more time with Him. Whatever pruning He’s doing- trust that because of it you will produce more in the end.

The second beauty of being buried is that it is deepening your faith in God. You see- the buried season can be looked at as a test. Because as God tells us in James 1, you will be blessed so long as you persevere. Remember God never promised us the weapons would not form, but He did tell us that they wouldn’t prosper. (Isaiah 54:17). In this season, God is deepening your faith in Him. Like a tree with deep roots, God is making it so that you can stand firm in full faith when the storms come. And when God deepens your faith in such a way- expect His blessings to overtake you. Expect His blessings to be in abundance.

There is one more beauty is being buried. And that beauty goes by the name of Jesus. You see, we all know the story of Jesus: He came. He died. He was buried. And He rose.

Let’s focus on Jesus’ burial. If Jesus had not been buried- then there would be no purpose for you and I. His burial sealed the deal and proved that His purpose had been fulfilled. If Jesus never got buried- there would be no reason for Him to rise on the 3rd day. And if he never rose, then there would be no remission of sins. Jesus serves as our perfect example, because it in His burial that we are able to rise from our pits. Think on that. Rejoice in that.

As I close this blog post out, I just want to encourage you all that the buried season has it’s purpose in our lives! It’s not anyone’s favorite- but God certainly can use it for our good. And when you come out of the buried season- you’ll be like a flower in full bloom- beautiful and in full effect.

With a new appreciation for the buried season,

Malaysia 😉