When the world seems dark…
Cainspirations by Kristi Cain, originally published September 2, 2021
DISCOVERING DESTINY.
Overcoming Darkness.
How are you overcoming a bleak outlook? Let’s journey together!
| We’re a year and a half into the pandemic and the headlines have not improved. In many ways, things seem worse than ever. At this point, many of us are wondering how much more the world can take. How much longer our economy, infrastructure, government, communities, schools, churches, and families can hold up against wave after wave of bleakness, division, and loss. But no matter what the latest media report says, there is good news for all of us, even in a world we barely recognize. Because we all have a source of good news that’s still relevant in a world going viral in every sense of the word. A source of good news that was relevant over 4,000 years ago to a man who was ridiculed and rejected by everyone outside his immediate family. A man who dared to preach the good news of his day to a world desperately lost. Who devoted 22 years of his blood, sweat, and tears to build a physical means to save everyone around him from certain doom. For 22 years, he poured every ounce of his time, effort, and capital into a vehicle of hope for the world. But he failed to win a single convert. Yet, when God sent a flood to cover the earth, Noah’s faithfulness and the faithfulness of his family was enough to save all of humanity. His lonely valley of 22 years anointed him with an inner light that withstood every outside pressure. And every time a rainbow lights the sky, God reminds us we are still protected by Noah’s faith in a dark world long ago. But Noah is only one example of the way God anoints our seasons of darkness with his light of triumph. Just under 4,000 years ago, a talented young man was touched by the gift of prophecy and deeply loved by his father. Yet his promise of a bright future was blotted out by a series of ruthless betrayals that left him suffering for over 20 years in slavery then prison for crimes others committed against him. Throughout the cruelty of injustice, he remained faithful to God, never failing to treat others with the mercy and grace he was denied. When the world had long forgotten him, God raised his station to palatial levels making him the Pharaoh’s second-in-command. Joseph’s season of darkness anointed him to save the Middle East from famine, including the sons of Israel who first betrayed him. Just under 3,500 years ago a man who was an outcast in every sense of the word emerged from 40 years in exile for a crime of passion. At the age of 80, he became the only leader in history to save an entire nation by parting the waters of a sea. After 40 more years of darkness, God anointed Moses’s people with the light they needed to win the promised land, becoming the only military force ever to make walls crumple the instant their trumpets sounded. Just over 2,000 years ago during the darkest chapter of human history, a fisherman had two sons with a powerful friend. One was beheaded for this friendship by King Herod Agrippa. The other son’s story was different. The powerful friend the brothers shared in those dangerous times had an inner circle of followers. It could be argued that of all the followers, this brother was the most faithful. Of all the followers, he was the only who was not martyred. Of all the followers, he was the only one rumored to have been taken to heaven alive. And of all Jesus’s followers, John was the only one gifted with the Revelation prophecy of the second coming. So, during this dark pandemic season, if you find yourself drained of direction and hope, don’t forget that the very light the world so desperately needs is already being strengthened within you. This time of trial may be pouring out the very oil of anointing that will one day lift you onto God’s much brighter path for all of us. So no matter how bad things get, never forget you already have a light within that the darkness can’t overcome. And no matter how long it takes, God never fails to see the light he is refining within you, never fails to reward the faithfulness you show him through these seasons, and never fails to keep his promise of salvation to all of us. That’s not just good news. It’s the best news we could ever hope for. |
| Want to know your divine calling? Find out with my “Discover Your Destiny” Quiz! |
YOUR TURN!
Don’t make me do all the talking – I’d love to hear from you!
- What are some ways God has helped you defy worldly standards of success?
- What concerns or inspires you the most about the coming school year?
- Do you want to hear about anything else? Any prayer requests?
Just shoot me an email – don’t be shy! And I promise to reply!
BEAUTY IN TODAY
Check out these awesome photos from readers like you!
PHOTO CREDITS (top to bottom, left to right): Friendly City Sunrise by Trey Sullins, Athens, TN; Hiwassee River Bluffs by Heath Belcher, Polk County, TN; Alaskan Cascade by Cindy Husky, Blackwater Bay, AK; Pacific Sunset by Carey Michenfelder, La Jolla, CA; Chattanooga Riverscape, by Wanda Key, Lookout Mountain, TN.
Want to share your “Beauty in Today” picture or inspirational musings? Shoot me an email and you just might be featured in my next issue!
Thanks for visiting with us today! I hope I’ve helped you feel encouraged! – Kristi
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Work looks a lot like play for Kristi Cain and includes freelance writing for Crosswalk, inspirational blogging, writing fantastical stories of Christian fiction, teaching English to teens, and being able to say, “I’m a former journalist.” Home is nestled in the Smoky Mountain foothills with her husband and teenage children. If you ever want a little encouragement in your day, check out her newsletter. Hop over to her website for her latest happenings and join her Facebook group, a fun, faith-based community.
Cain’s life experiences and faith journey have lent her the lens through which she shapes stories of unlocking the light of destiny out of darkness. Through her writing, she hopes to encourage people to understand that the difficult places in life can be the very ingredients that shape the greatest destinies.
Cainspirations by author Kristi Cain 