When times are tough, we hope for better days, we wait for things to fall into place, and we pray that God will change the trials and situations around us. At least I do, after all that would be the easy way out.

But here’s the thing–perhaps the real transformation needs to come from within.

Throughout scripture we see men and women, not evading their trials, but rising above them. We read about Noah faithfully building an ark, while the rest of the world stood by and laughed. Daniel in the lions den. Three men in the fiery furnace. We read about Joseph thrown into a pit, sold by his brothers, and later imprisoned. Our Savior who was nailed to the cross. We’ve all heard about the horrific trials of Job and the faithful way he held to his faith. And, what was their secret?

“The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” – Elisabeth Elliot

Maybe instead of changing the world around you, God wants to transform the heart within you. To keep you grounded and focused on Christ. To show you the life-changing power of courageous faith. To remind you that joy and peace don’t come from the situations around you, they well up from the Spirit within you.

Yes, sometimes God calms the storm, but other times the storm rages while He lets us walk through it. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 12, Paul talks about “a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan that torments me.” He writes,

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10, NIV)

Whether it was a physical problem or a spiritual one, we don’t know for sure, but we know that it kept Paul humble and focused on Christ.

“The choice is ours. It depends on our willingness to see everything in God, receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude just the portion and the cup He offers.” – Elisabeth Elliot


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Tilling the Soil

Read 2 Corinthians 12.

Planting Hope

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV)


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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.

She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.

It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical FitnessReshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.

Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.

Connect with Darlene:

Facebook: @timewarpwife
Instagram: @timewarpwife
Pinterest: @timewarpwife
Twitter: @timewarpwife

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife