“When life’s biggest disappointments cause a bitterness that you just can’t seem to shake, know that the Lord wants to step in and reveal the miracle of his restoring power in your heart. He can take your biggest struggle and heartache – the one that causes your chest to ache with frustration – and turn it into the sweet spot on which your spiritual outlook hinges.” – Priscilla Shirer from her Bible Study, “One In A Million”.
This statement has lingered with me for several days now. Our current heartache, whatever that might be, is the very thing in which God can, and will, transform into a sweet spot.
A sweet spot.
When I think of sweet, I think of honey, homemade chocolate chip cookies, kisses from my kiddos, the night Joel proposed to me, the first time I saw my babies on a sonogram, and walking on the beach with sand between my toes. Those are all marvelous things to me. The word sweet does not conjure up thoughts of heartache, struggle, and pain. When I think sweet, I don’t think about a wilderness journey. Yet, just maybe my perception of sweet is off. Perhaps the very thing in my life that frustrates and overwhelms me is the very thing that God is using to draw me close to him – causing me to cling to him with all my might.
Life is so multi-dimensional. There may be clouds hovering over one area while sunlight shines down on another. Sometimes there are more clouds than sun, and finding a sweet spot is like looking for sugar in a saltshaker.
When we moved into our current home, we had a baby and a two-year-old. We didn’t need a lot of space, and really couldn’t afford much more than our tiny townhome at the time. We dreamed big. We anticipated living in this house for a couple years and then moving on up to something bigger to meet the needs of our growing family. Then two things happened all around the same time: I found out I was pregnant with Jackson, and the housing market plummeted. Needless to say, five years later, we are still living in our two-bedroom townhome with no yard. Believe me, there have been days when I have felt the frustration of this situation so strong and wondered how long will we have to live like this.
Last fall, as we were settling back into the routine of school, ballet, Bible study, etc, something very powerful occurred to me. I was putting up what few fall decorations I have and began reflecting on all of the autumn seasons we’ve spent in our home, how each year has been a little different from the last, and just how much life and memories we have lived here: Brooklyn learned to crawl and walk, Jackson was brought home from the hospital to this very house – the only home he’s ever known – miracles witnessed in our kitchen and living room, Christmases, Easter egg hunts, birthday parties, and countless Friday Family Movie Nights. This little townhome, that sometimes feels like it’s closing in on me, is our home…a very sweet place. And to my children, it is not a piece of real estate that has depreciated in market value. It is their home – their sweet spot.
God has taught me so many things here too. He’s taught me to think creatively, outside the box, stretching me to find ways to maximize our living space. He has also taught me to be content, no matter what situation I am in. I realize that this issue of mine may seem petty and small in comparison to all of the real heartache and sorrow out there in our world. However, this is one cloud, a piece of the bigger puzzle, revealing that as much as I would love to have a picture-perfect life, not everything will always be picture-perfect. This little ‘ole house is not something that I simply have to put up with, but it has truly become a sweet spot for me. I am so grateful that our plans to move on up fell apart, because it has been here, in this townhome, that the most precious moments of my life have been lived…and I really don’t want to move away from that any time soon.
Allowing God to turn our biggest disappointments into a sweet spot is not always an easy thing to do, but once we release them into his hands, there can truly be none sweeter.
Psalm 19:9-10
The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
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Beautiful thoughts, Amy!! I have discovered (often the hard way) that the beauty that radiates from a life where God is allowed to dwell, is the “sweet spot” for others to taste. Your life is an inspiration to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.
“The word sweet does not conjure up thoughts of heartache, struggle, and pain. When I think sweet, I don’t think about a wilderness journey. Yet, just maybe my perception of sweet is off.” ~ Who would have imagined! How true!
Such a SWEET post, Amy. Thank you for sharing it with us. Hugs.
Beautifully written….touching post, Amy…a good reminder of being content in all things and allowing the Lord to show us His goodness in the midst of it all. However, (pout, pout) I do wish we could buy you a house!