It’s gonna get worse before it gets better.
Don’t you love that nugget of advice? Doesn’t it make you want to paint on your biggest smile and whistle a happy tune?
Of course not.
Getting worse is not the news we want to hear when we’re looking for the silver lining. We want to know that breakthrough is on the way and fast, yesterday if possible.
Pregnancy is one of those scenarios. Think about what a woman’s body endures during that almost ten month period. Even if she has a relatively ‘easy’ pregnancy, she will become so uncomfortable during that nine month that she will do nearly anything to relieve her discomfort. She can’t accept that things will stay the way they are. They must change regardless of her fear of the pain required to move on. It gets worse before it gets better.
We can talk about wanting things to change until we’re blue in the face, but for most of us there comes a time when the discomfort of our current situation must exceed the pain of what is required to change. If you’re around children, you know this is true. How many of them volunteer to clean up their toys out of the goodness of their little hearts from the start? Ok, you may have that one freakish child who did that, but I didn’t. Why, why, why???
In the process of getting our house ready to sell we’ve re-painted, de-cluttered, removed quite a bit of our stuff, moved furniture around and packed away family pictures to the point that it no longer even looks like our home. I purchased an inexpensive piece of art to hang in the living room that I would never have considered hanging before. It’s SO not me. The time of feeling sad that we’re going to move to a different home for all of us has become an urgent demand–GET US OUT OF HERE! It gets worse before it gets better.
Maybe, like me, you’re smack in the middle of a hard season of ‘worse’ and you’re not even sure if you’ll make it to ‘gets better’. Getting to the point of no return discomfort is not ideal, but sometimes it’s necessary to be able to push through the pain so that relief can come. Relief is coming. God has not abandoned you. He never takes his eyes off of you. He loves you and wants what’s absolutely best for you. Unfortunately what’s best is rarely easy. He’s making something beautiful out of your season of ‘worse’. It’s going to be so much better than you can even imagine.
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines like the dawn [until you shimmer], her salvation like a blazing torch.
The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory [your beauty]; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.
You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand [the crown of creation], a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah [my delight is in her], and your land Beulah [married]; for the Lord will take delight in you, and your land will be married.
As a young man marries a maiden [he pursues her, romances her]…as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride [you are lovely], so will your God rejoice over you. (Isaiah 62:1-5 emphasis added, taken from the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge)
These are powerful ancient words and they’re just as true today as they were thousands of years ago. He’s getting you ready for something more wonderful than you ever thought possible. He’s making you new.
