Over the weekend, we saw the movie Miracles from Heaven. Apparently, it was a lot more emotionally difficult for me than it was for 99% of all the other movie-goers in the audience. I think my eyes are still puffy from all those tears. Yet somehow, no one else in my family shed a tear. So naturally, I’ve been rehearsing the scenes and the story in my mind, trying to figure out why it was so moving for me and this is what I came up with.
The struggle is real.
As I watched this sweet family endure the pain of tragedy, over and over again, it was almost more than I could bear. Watching this passionate mom (Jennifer Garner) do her very best to love her whole family well, while she engaged in the fight of her life to try to save her daughter, was gut-wrenching. Seeing each member of the family experience very different, but very real, personal pain as a result was like a punch in my gut.
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived through some family tragedies of my own.
Maybe it’s because I know how painful it can be in those moments. I know how painful the fallout will be for years to come. I know how hard it can be to see God in those moments, no matter how desperately you’re searching for him.
And it hurts.
But I’ve also seen, and am still seeing, all the beautiful growth that can happen as a result of incredibly painful, difficult times. Even as I write this morning, the heaviness of all that pain is in my chest, and the tears are starting to burn in my eyes and nose again while I think of you. The struggle of balancing your hopes and dreams with the reality, and sometimes pain, of your daily life is real. Wherever you are, whatever you’re going through, it’s real for you. I don’t know why… we might never know why, but I know one thing.
If you hold on, you will grow.
Throughout that movie, I watched the mother hold on to her daughter. She held on to her husband and he held on to her too. The teenage daughter held on to her dad, even if it was through a closed-door. They each hurt so deeply, but in their own time, they found their own ways to hold on.
And they grew.
They grew individually and they grew together. (More on that tomorrow) For today, please keep holding on. Keep your heart open to the growth that can and will happen for you through this struggle if you just keep holding on.
This kind of growth is so painful, but it will make you stronger, if you let it.
We need you stronger.
to more love,
Crystal
