Tag Archive for: Romans 8:18

Broken But Bright

,

Romans 8:18 — For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

You know, sometimes we have got to get broken in order to grow.

I have got this great story. Oh, I love it, and It goes like this.

“The other night, I was in the dollar store, and there was a mom there with her kids. One was a big kid, and the other one was a toddler. The bigger one had a pack of glow sticks, and the toddler was screaming for them.

So the mom opened the pack and gave him one, which stopped his tears. He walked around with it, smiling, but then the bigger boy took it. The toddler started screaming again. Just as the mom was about to bust, the older child bent the glow stick and handed it back to the toddler.

As we walked outside at the same time, the toddler noticed that the stick was now glowing, and his brother said, ‘I had to break it so that you could get the full effect of it.’

Wow.

When I saw that happening, I could hear God say to me, I had to break you to show you why I created you. You had to go through it so you could fulfill your purpose.”

That precious child was happy just swinging that unbroken glow stick around in the air because he didn’t understand what it was created to do, which was glow.

There are some people who will be content just being unbroken, but some of us know that God has chosen us. We have to be broken. We have to get sick, we have to lose that job. We have to bury our spouse, our parents, or our best friends.

In those moments of desperation, God is breaking us, but when the breaking is done, then we will be able to see the reason for which we were created.

Just like it says in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

What if the places that broke you were never meant to end your story? What if they were preparing you to shine in ways you could not imagine until now?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Can you think of a season in your life that felt like breaking—but later revealed growth, purpose, or deeper faith?
  • Where might God be inviting you to trust Him in the middle of suffering you don’t yet understand?
  • Are there places in your story you still see only as pain, rather than places God may be preparing to bring glory?
  • How does Romans 8:18 change the way you view hardship—not as the end of the story, but as part of a bigger one God is still writing?
/by

Trusting Through the Thorns

,

Romans 8:18 — “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Honeysuckle and honey bees.

Growing up in the country, I could spend hours walking the fence line of our horse pasture. That stretch of land was thick with flowers and wild blackberries. I would breathe in the honeysuckle—it was the kind of aroma you want to bottle up and keep forever.

I would pick blackberries until my fingers were stained purple. The metal bowl clinked with every drop. Then I would take them inside to Mama. She would pour evaporated milk over them and sprinkle sugar on top. That bowl was better than Dairy Queen—better than anything, really.

But those berries did not come easy. The vines were full of stickers and prickers. To pick even a small bowl meant taking your time, moving slow, steady, and careful. If you got in a hurry or grabbed too quick, those thorns would draw blood.

It took precision. Patience. A little pain, too. But again, it was worth the scratches.

The older I get, the more I see how life works the same way. It will poke and prod and prick you along the way—especially when you dare to dream big, when you want to follow what God has placed on your heart. He never promised a smooth path. He never said the thorns would not come. But He did say He would be with you.

So if the road feels rough today, if your hands feel scratched from doing the right thing—keep going. The reward is real. The sweetness is still ahead.

/by

From Hardship to Hope

,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 

Romans 8:18 

Albert Brumley had been working since sunrise, and he felt every minute of it. His back ached. His hands were raw. His mind ran in circles, weighed down by worries that had nothing to do with the field in front of him. The country was in crisis, people were struggling, and the work never seemed to end. 

He exhaled hard and pressed his palm against the plow. Lord, how much longer? 

That was when he saw it—a bird lifting off the fencepost. One beat of its wings and it was free, soaring higher and higher, carried by nothing but the wind. 

Something deep in his chest cracked open. That’s what I want. To be lifted. To escape this heaviness. 

He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling this way. He saw it in the faces around him—people carrying more than they could bear, pushing forward because they had no other choice. But what if there was something greater waiting beyond all of this? What if one day, every burden would be lifted? 

That longing didn’t leave him. It stayed with him as he worked, as he walked, as he hummed a tune under his breath. A song was forming. 

By the time he got home, he was writing as fast as his hands could move. That simple song—born from sweat and struggle—would go on to bring comfort to millions. It would be sung in churches, at funerals, in quiet moments when hope felt far away. 

Because it wasn’t just a song. It was a promise. 

Some glad morning, when this life is over 
I’ll fly away 
To that home on God’s celestial shore 
I’ll fly away

I’ll fly away, oh glory 
I’ll fly away 
When I die, hallelujah, by and by 
I’ll fly away 

If your heart is tired, if the weight feels too much, remember this: it won’t last forever. God has prepared a place where every burden is lifted. Hold on—because on the horizon, joy is coming. 

 

LYRICS

Some bright morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away

CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone
I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly
I’ll fly away

CHORUS

Oh, how glad and happy when we meet
I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I’ll fly away

CHORUS

Just a few more weary days and then
I’ll fly away
To a land where joys will never end
I’ll fly away

CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away

/by

Praise in Every Storm

,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Romans 8:18

Ten-year-old Erin Browning danced with joy. Her small frame moved gracefully to the steps she choreographed to the Casting Crown’s song. The band’s lead singer, Mark, met Erin and her mother, Laurie, in the middle of the girl’s fight with cancer.

The mom’s faith was unlike anything he had seen before. She wept openly, asked hard questions, and even wrestled with anger. Yet, through her raw emotions, she chose to trust God.

After Erin passed, Mark sat alone with his guitar. He let the weight of it all wash over him. He could still hear Laurie’s words. She confessed no matter how dark life got, she knew God was still good, and His love still held the world together.

As Mark strummed his guitar, lyrics began to flow as a song took shape.

“And I’ll praise You in this storm, and I will lift my hands.

For You are who You are, no matter where I am,

And every tear I’ve cried, You hold in Your hand.

You never left my side, and though my heart is torn,

I will praise You in this storm.”

The song became an anthem that reminds us that worship is not confined to perfect moments. It is choosing to trust when the world feels like it is falling apart.

What would it look like for you to trust God in the hardest moments of your life? Could your faith tell a story of praise, even when it hurts?

 

/by