Rock Bottom

When I was younger, and even still today, I heard stories of people overcoming horrible times and being stronger and better from it. They hit rock bottom and then turned their lives around. These stories usually involved a drug addict, prostitute, alcoholic, etc. They would be so deep into their struggles something would happen and they would change their life.

This is great... But it scared the daylights out of me when I was younger.

I thought in order to grow and learn you had to hit rock bottom the same way these other people did. This always scared me and left me asking God questions like, "can't I just learn it an easier way?"

It takes some hard times and situations for us to truly grow.
If we don't go through hard times, we are left with ourselves being selfish, prideful, close minded, and taking things for granted.

Although we may not hit rock bottom the same way the drug addict did, we do hit rock bottom. It may be an internal thing. Or maybe an emotional thing. We could hit rock bottom with our confidence, selfishness, pride. We hit rock bottom when we are so overwhelmed with our problems we feel drained and empty.

The point is, whenever we do hit, God is still there to pick us up. It is usually at this time when we solely rely on God. It's sad that so many of us, really all of us, think we don't need God at times or in certain areas of our life. We think we don't need Him until we are the ones with nothing.

It is good to go through stuff.
That just gives us an opportunity to grow, mature, become stronger, and rely on God more.

It is good for areas of our life to hit rock bottom.
That is when we are truly tested.
That is when we truly grow.

It is good to be weak.
We are all weak.
We are all weak when it is just up to us. Even when we are giving something 100%, it isn't at full potential if we are doing it minus God. 

Paul boasted in his weakness, because he knew that where he was weak, God was made strong. God's power was made perfect in weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.