Break Out!: 5 Keys to Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life (22 page)

When Lisa heard that, something ignited on the inside. It’s like a stronghold was broken in her mind. Instead of sitting at home feeling sorry for herself, she went up to the church and started a class every week for people who were believing for their marriages to be restored. She reached out to other people who were hurting.

My sister was injured, but she got back in the game. Through her actions she was saying, “I’m hurting but I’m still here. I’m disappointed but I’m still here. They did me wrong but I’m still here.”

Lisa could have remained bitter with a chip on her shoulder, blaming God, but she made the decision to get back in the game. Today, more than twenty years later, she’s happily married, with a great husband and three beautiful children. She saw what God promised. He took the scars and turned them into stars. He gave her beauty for those ashes. But it all happened when she made the decision to get back in the game.

Isaiah put it this way, “Arise from the depression in which the circumstances have kept you. Rise to a new life.” Notice, if you want a new life there’s something you have to do. You can’t sit back in self-pity. You can’t wait until all your wounds heal and you feel 100 percent. You’ve got to do as Lisa did and arise from that discouragement.

Shake off what didn’t work out. Quit mourning over what you’ve lost. Quit dwelling on who hurt you and how unfair it was, and rise to a new life. When God sees you in the game, pain and all, bandages and all—when you show up with the attitude: “I’m hurting but I’m still here. I’m hurting but I know God is still on the Throne. I’m hurting but I’m expecting God to turn it around”—that’s when the Creator of the universe goes to work. That’s when God will pay you back for the wrongs that have happened to you.

You may be in a tough time. You may be sitting on the sidelines. If that’s the case, God is saying, “Arise and get back in the game.” If a friend betrayed you, don’t go through life lonely. Go out and find some new friends. The right people are in your future. If you lost your job, don’t sit around complaining. Go out and find another job. When one door closes God will always open another door.

If you’re facing a health issue, fighting a sickness, don’t give up on life and start planning your funeral. Arise from that discouragement. When God sees you do your part, He will do His part. He will give you a new life. He will restore your health, give you new opportunities, new relationships. He will give you a new perspective. You will see that even though it’s painful for a time, it is not the end. Even though it was unfair, it is not over. There is still life after the sickness, life after the divorce, and life after the bad break. A full life is still in front of you.

The Scripture says Job experienced this. He went through all kinds of tough times. Everything that could go wrong did. He was tempted to sit on the sidelines of life. His wife told him, “Job, just give up. It’s never going to get any better.”

But in the midst of that pain Job said, “I know my Redeemer lives.” He was saying in effect, “I’m hurting but I’m still in the game. I’m hurting but I know my God is still on the Throne.”

A year later when Job came through that challenge, God not only brought him out; God paid him back double for what he lost. The Scripture says, “After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his grandchildren down to four generations.”

Notice, after the trouble, after the loss, after the sickness, after the business went down, after the bottom fell out, his life still was not over. He didn’t end on a sour, defeated note. He went on to live a blessed, happy 140 years, enjoying his grandchildren, accomplishing his dreams, fulfilling his destiny.

Your life is not over because you had a setback. God has an “after this” in your future. When you go through tough times, don’t be surprised if the enemy doesn’t whisper in your ear, “You’ll never be as happy as you used to be. You’ve seen your best days. This setback is the end of you.”

Let that go in one ear and out the other. God is saying to you what He said to Job: after the cancer, after the bad break, after the disappointment, there is still a full life. You have not danced your best dance. You have not laughed your best laugh. You have not dreamed your best dream.

If you stay in the game and do not grow bitter, God will bring you out just as he brought out Job. He will bring you out with double what you had before.

There was another pro football player whose younger brother was tragically killed in an accident the day before a big game. This player practically raised his siblings. They were extremely close. You can imagine the pain and shock he must have been in. The coach told him to go back home and spend as much time as he needed with his family. But he said, “No, Coach. I’m playing in the game tomorrow in memory of my brother. I know that’s what he would want me to do.”

It’s interesting; this player had one of the greatest games of his career. He caught an incredible touchdown pass and made other great plays. Some people would see it as a coincidence, just the adrenaline of the moment. But I see it as the hand of God. I believe God was saying, “If you’ll dare stay in the game, if you’ll dare play with pain, then I’ll breathe My favor on your life.”

Nobody would fault you for being discouraged when you are nursing your wounds over a lost loved one, a serious illness, a child with special needs or a legal battle. That’s what most people expect. But when you defy the odds, play in pain, and say, “Hey, I’m hurting but I’m still here,” the most powerful force in the universe breathes in your direction.

You may be in a difficult time. You could easily be discouraged. But God is saying, “It’s time to wipe away the tears. Wash your face. Put on a new attitude and get back in the game.”

You may not be able to do what you used to. You may have some aches and some limitations. That’s all right. God is not necessarily concerned about your performance. He is looking at the fact that you’re in the game.

You could have a chip on your shoulder. You could be sitting on the sidelines. It takes an act of faith to ignore the voices giving you excuses to sit there. When you refuse to listen to them and get back in the game, God sees your effort. God knows what it took for you to come to church or to reach out to someone else in need.

Other people may not know the battles you had to fight to get back in the game. They don’t understand the discouragement you had to overcome. They didn’t see all the opportunities you had to get sour and throw in the towel. Just the fact that you showed up says to God, “You are still on the Throne.”

You’re saying to yourself, “I’m in it for the long haul.” And you’re saying to the enemy, “You’re under my feet. There’s nothing you can do to keep me from my destiny.”

When Jesus was here on this earth, He felt every pain, every emotion, that we would ever feel. He knows what it’s like to be lonely, to go through a loss, to be betrayed, or to be discouraged—so much so that He sweated great drops of blood. He’s been where we are. The Scripture says, “He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.”

When you hurt, God feels the pain. You’re His most prized possession. You’re His child. When you arise in spite of the pain and get in the game, that’s the seed God will use to take the scar and turn it into a star.

I met a man in the Lakewood Church lobby who was wearing a wristband from the hospital. I asked him if everything was okay. He explained that he’d had surgery earlier in that week, a major surgery. He was supposed to stay in the hospital through the weekend to recover. But he said, “Doctor, I’ve got to go to church on Sunday. I’m an usher. They’ll be expecting me.”

The doctor said, “No way, sir. I’m not even thinking about letting you out of the hospital. You’re staying right here and recovering.”

The man said, “Doctor, you don’t understand. I have to be at church. I never miss a Sunday.”

The doctor looked at him, said, “Let me ask you. Do you go to Lakewood?”

He said, “Yes, sir. I do.”

The doctor said, “Lakewood people are the most dedicated, faithful, happiest people I’ve ever seen.” Then he said, “I’m going to make a deal with you. I’m going to give you a three-hour pass to go to church on Sunday morning and then you get right back in here and get in that bed to recover.”

The man showed up. He was hurting, but he was here. He told me before the service, “Joel, don’t go long. I’ll get in trouble!”

There’s another younger man who attends Lakewood services. He always has a smile, seems as happy as can be. What I didn’t realize is that he has been on dialysis for twelve years. I took my father to dialysis the last
three months of his life. I know a little bit about that. It’s not always easy. It can be a burden. This young man always wore long-sleeved shirts. One Sunday he came up for prayer. I met him at the altar for the first time. I said, “Hey, I see you out there in the audience all the time. It’s good to finally meet you.”

He said, “Yeah, Joel. I never miss a service. I love coming.” He rolled up his sleeve. His whole arm was as red as a tomato. It looked like somebody had taken an ice pick and poked at it for three hours straight. I’d never seen anything like that before.

I couldn’t help but think about all the times I had seen him out in the audience with his arms up in the air in worship. It looked like he didn’t have a problem in the world. Looked as happy as could be. What I didn’t realize was under that sleeve he was injured. He was here but he was hurting. He was playing in pain.

It’s one thing to go through a difficulty that everybody knows about. You’re worried, discouraged. You’ve got your friends and family members praying. There’s nothing wrong with that. We’re all human. We all have emotions. We handle things in different ways.

But what really gets God’s attention is when you’re in a tough time, you’re hurting, you’re in pain, but like this young man, you’re so stable, you’re so consistent, you’re so at peace, nobody knows anything about it. You show up to church each week with a smile. You go to work with a good attitude. You’re kind, friendly, and compassionate. The whole time you’re fighting a battle that nobody knows anything about. That gets God’s attention in a great, great way.

About three months ago the young man who’d been on dialysis so long came back to the altar with another young man. He said, “Joel, my friend is donating one of his kidneys to me. I’m receiving a transplant on Tuesday.”

The procedure went great. The new kidney responded perfectly. Today, he’s not on dialysis anymore. He doesn’t have to wear long-sleeved shirts anymore. He’s healthy, free from that pain.

Twelve years after the dialysis, after the struggle, after the pain, there was still a bright future in front of him. Because he stayed in the game, like Job, he came into his “after this.” God will do the same thing for you.

There’s a young lady in the Scripture who went through a time of great pain because her husband was killed in a battle. Her name was Ruth. In a moment her life forever changed. Ruth could have easily given in to self-pity, or discouragement, feeling that life was just not fair.

But Ruth stayed in the game. She chose instead to look after her mother-in-law, Naomi, who was widowed and had lost her son. Naomi said, “Ruth, you’re a young woman. I’m an old lady. You’ve got a full life in front of you. Don’t worry about me. Go off and do your own thing.”

Ruth said, “No, Naomi. I’m not leaving you by yourself, especially when you’re hurting. I’m going with you and taking care of you.” Even though Ruth was hurting, even though she was in pain, she reached out to somebody else who was hurting.

Month after month, Ruth just kept taking care of Naomi, getting the food, serving her dinner, being her friend. One day Ruth was out in the field gathering up wheat for the dinner. She met this man named Boaz. He was the owner of all the fields, the wealthiest man in that area. They fell in love and got married. God blessed them with a baby boy. They named him Obed.

Obed had a son named Jesse. Jesse had a son named David. David, of course, went on to be the king of Israel, one of the greatest men to ever live.

Ruth could have sat on the sidelines the rest of her life after that loss but she understood this principle: she played in pain. She was injured but she kept doing the right thing. God had an “after this” for Ruth. After the loss, after the pain, God said, “I’ll give you a great-great-grandson that will change the world.”

You may be in pain today. Maybe you’ve suffered a loss, been through a disappointment. My message is, “That is not the end. God still has a plan.” Don’t sit around nursing your wounds. Don’t let bitterness and discouragement set the tone for your life. God is saying, “Arise. Wipe away the tears and get back in the game.”

Have the attitude “I’m hurting but I’m still here. I’m disappointed but I’ve still got a smile. They did me wrong but I’m still giving God praise.”

If you will stay in the game, God will always have an “after this” for you. After the loss, you’ll meet the right person. After the layoff, you’ll get
a better job. After the sickness, you’ll come out stronger. After the disappointment, you’ll still live a blessed, full, happy life. Just like my mother. Just like the young man with the kidney. Just like Ruth, like Job.

I believe and declare, in spite of the pain, in spite of the adversity, because you’re still in the game, God is going to make the rest of your life the best of your life.

W
e all grow tired sometimes, tired of trying to make a business grow, tired of dealing with a sickness, tired of raising a difficult child, tired of being lonely and waiting to meet the right person. We can even be doing what we love, whether it’s living in the house of our dreams, raising great children, or working at a good job, but if we’re not careful we can lose our passion and allow weariness to set in.

I watched a documentary about a long war involving our country. The United States troops had been overseas for many years engaged in conflict. A four-star general testified before Congress. A senator asked how the troops were doing. He said, “Sir, our troops are tired. We never expected the war to go on this long. Now they’re dealing with battle fatigue.”