When suffering is great, we’re sanctified through the Spirit
How it’s possible to grow in holiness while living through our brokenness [10 scriptures that bring hope to healing]
Our seasons of suffering don’t disqualify us from experiencing His holiness. In fact, it’s through our seasons of great suffering we are sanctified and set apart as holy, beloved daughters bearing the image of the invisible God.
And I wish I could just let that truth there, and we’d both breathe in and out a newfound permission that we can finally show up to life without having to have it all together.
But I can’t. And I know you don’t want me to, either.
Because the truth is, words without actions (including mental shifts in belief) are just words.
Sis, I want you to show up to your real life today. And I want you to do it under the umbrella of His holiness—even if you’re suffering, grieving, wandering or waiting.
And I promise to go first, I’ll usher you into what I know to be true and what He’s taught me through my own seasons of hurt and healing.
A biblical misconception about suffering and holiness
Seasons of despair can make the certain truths we once clung to become a bit topsy-turvy—especially when it comes to the scriptures we’ve tucked deep within our hearts when life is smooth sailing and our walk with Christ feels easy-breezy.
But just like Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness [1], twisting the scriptures to further his schemes, it’s important for us to be sober-minded and watchful of this same tactic being used against us in our own seasons of suffering.
Life’s trials and unforeseen circumstances can easily distract and torment us into believing that God is no longer for us, and is in fact against us.
Whether you’re new in the faith, or you’ve been walking with Christ for a while, you’ve most likely heard:
“Be holy, because I am holy” [2]
I don’t know about you, but when I’m walking through hardship, grief or waiting, this command feels a bit much 🥴…
Same?
As the tender parts of our wounds are gaping wide open, these charged words of scripture might bubble up to the surface, only adding insult to injury.
But make no mistake, this is a game from the enemy!
Shame, shame I know your name
Sis, don’t let the desire to be holy be a stumbling block for you because of a false doctrine unearthed by the enemy during your season of suffering.
Likewise, if those in your beloved community come at you with similar, shame-filled responses to your journey of hurt and healing, you have permission to:
- Choose to give space to those who aren’t capable of making space for your enduring and stretching.
- Discuss the text, together, so you can both be purposed and ready to bring hope to your homes and communities, instead of shame (I recommend doing this when you’re on the other side of your healing).
Check out these possible scriptures the enemy might speak over you in shame. Be on guard, preparing your hearts in truth (context) and wisdom:
How making space for suffering honors holiness
Now that we’re aware of how Satan might target us in our suffering, convincing us we’re too far from His holiness, we can honor our brokenness by allowing it to take up space in our lives.
If our trials and circumstances are indeed an opportunity to grow in holiness, not mere roadblocks to it, how do we reconcile our pain with God’s growing of us?
It kinda seems that as our circumstances increase in brokenness, we’d experience an inverse, or decrease, in holiness (especially if we’re tempted to believe we’ve gotta be perfect like the previous scriptures say; Again, knowing the context keeps us from being scriptural soft targets 😉).
But this just isn’t so, and here’s why—
Our circumstances (our personal battles with sin, outside injustices, results of living in a broken world) are actually the perfect medium for God to grow us in holiness, not separate us from it!
This process is called sanctification.
When we’re enduring the refining fire of life, we are actually being set apart, or made holy, by way of the Spirit.
Instead of our brokenness keeping us from holiness, it becomes a catalyst for it.
As our sufferings increase, so does the degree to which we are made holy.
As our seasons of suffering taper off, our holiness remains—we are no longer who we were when we started, but a more complete version of Christ himself.
1 Peter 1:6-7 encourages us this way:
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
NIV
Dear one, our suffering, though painful and longstanding, is truly a testament to Christ’s power in and through us!
What does it mean to practice holiness in light of healing
As we journey toward healing, knowing we don’t need to be healed to be holy, our perspective can shift from “why me?”, to “why not me?”.
Yes. These are hard words to lean into, but they’re also a holy testament to our union with Christ.
Because we’ve joined Christ in death, we also share in the marvelous victory of joining Him in life [3]!
Our journey toward holiness brings a newfound perspective to brokenness: our suffering is no longer meaningless, but meaningful.
We are living letters, bearing the glory of God—not only is He restoring us, but in His infinite love, he’s invited us into the act of healing and freeing others by way of our experiences with suffering [4].
Today, if you’re showing up to your suffering and all it’s broken pieces, know that it’s good enough to just have shown up, this is part of the journey and should not be rushed ( a dear friend recently reminded me that healing isn’t linear, so be gracious with yourself).
And as you’re showing up, working through the kinks of healing and growing in holiness, meditate through these scriptures to help you through:
You can do one a day, one a week or one a month, just keep showing up.
Your suffering is welcome here ❤️
Tell me, what else would you add to this list of scriptures?
Share with me in the comment section below!
Monet is a wife, momma, writer and entrepreneur, living the messy, unspoken parts of life openly and imperfectly. With the help of coffee and courage, Monet helps women live purposed and embrace wholeness despite brokenness. After enduring her own seasons of hardship and grief, Monet launched Purposed Box, a monthly subscription box helping the everyday woman encounter Jesus in her working, worship and waiting.
