There was an incident in my life that I was so sure God told me to act on but after doing so the experience just appeared to be the wrong decision. As I was thinking about how hard the struggle was God reminded me of the day Jesus was crucified (I am not comparing my situation with Jesus’scrucifixion just stay with me) and all the things he experienced before the cross, and he said, “walking towards your victory can be messy." The crucifixion was horrible, yet the victory could not compare. It served an everlasting purpose for mankind. And I began to think if every experience worked out 100% perfect how would we see the personal mercy and Grace manifested in our lives. In every adversity God will work in our favor. Personal experiences with God many times come through some very painful situations. God is personally involved in your life and deeply cares for you. He makes it a point to bless you even when you have given up. And he does it in a way where no one can get the glory but him. I love how he comes to rescue us; it pulls at the heart strings. It is a true love affair. Think of the scene with Jesus being tied to a pole, whipped beaten until he didn’t look like a man and crucified to the cross how horrific it was, blood everywhere his flesh and bones being exposed. The rejection, the lies the way Jesus was treated throughout his ministry...messy. But after being dead three days Jesus rose from the dead just like he said he would, he died for the forgiveness of our sins, but he rose with all power in his hands showing us the victory we have in him. It was messy, but that ugly mess was ultimately our freedom from sin so we could be in a personal relationship with a God who loves us more than we can comprehend. Don’t give up in the messy struggles of your life, your heavenly Father has already given you the victory. Stand firm and wait for God to turn things around for you.