Our trials are not punishments. They are opportunities to grow in faith and humility.
No one escapes this life without wounds. Some are external, leaving scars. An outward sign of survival. Others are internal, carried in our souls. We never see those scars, but we know they’re there.
Trials are part of life. Even scripture tells us that in the world we will suffer, “In the world you have tribulation, but take heart, for I have overcome the world,” (JOHN | 16:33).
It is through our trials that we grow in trust, in faith, and in wisdom. But only if we remain open to the opportunities before us.
Our wounds teach us.
Our wounds strengthen us.
Our wounds transform us.
Our wounds inspire us.
Our wounds help us inspire others.
Many times, I was so focused on the closed door that I could not see the open window before me.
At the moment, I was filled with too many questions, doubts, and fears. I was hurting. In my pain, I was like a cornered animal. I lashed out at anyone offering comfort and hope, and I wallowed in my suffering. I adopted it. Took it on as an identity. And not in a good way.
My wounds, both internal and external, defined me. Because of that, I was incapable of understanding and, more importantly, of acceptance. I was unable to let go and unwilling to heal. I owned my wounds, and because of that, they owned me.
Over time, decades really, my inability to let go led me down some truly dark and destructive paths. Unable to live with them, to coexist with them, I allowed my wounds to control me.
It was only through surrender, through giving up all control, that I finally felt God’s presence within me.
With every step forward on my recovery journey, I made peace with my wounds. I accepted my scars. I had to. It was the only way I would ever be free.
Today, I truly understand what it means to minister through my wounds. Every trial, every bad choice, every moment of grief that left a mark on my soul is also a seed planted. An opportunity to learn and to grow. And an opportunity to be a light for others.
Our wounds are not meant to define us; they are meant to show us the way.
On the eve of His suffering and death, Christ offered words of comfort, hope, and support to His disciples: “But take heart! I have overcome the world!”
Christ knew the trials His followers would face. He knew the suffering that lay before them. He also knew He would be leaving them. His last words to them were ones meant to inspire the strength and courage they’d need to continue His ministry. To remind them that He would always be with them.
It is the same with us. Christ knows we will suffer, grieve, experience illness, pain, doubt, and fear in this life. He knows we will fall short.
But, just as He reminded His closest followers before He ascended into Heaven, He reminds us, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age” (MATTHEW | 28:20).
WE MINISTER THROUGH OUR WOUNDS,
through the trials we have come through.
There’s wisdom in our scars,
They mark the storms
We have passed through.
Our stories don’t define us,
They’re but trials meant to teach us,
to return us to the FULLNESS,
of the GRACE bestowed upon us.
JN Fenwick (© 2024) | mothjournal14
MY PRAYER
Dear Jesus, thank You for Your words of comfort and strength. Thank You for Your sacrifice. Continue to strengthen me through my trials. Grant me the humility and courage to minister through my wounds. To learn from them, be transformed and inspired by them, and in turn to inspire others through them, not for my glory, but for Yours alone. Lead me in faith and trust in this moment, through this day, and for always. Amen.
JN Fenwick/mothjournal14 ©2025 | All rights reserved. | I DO NOT WALK THIS RECOVERY JOURNEY ALONE.
I’m JN Fenwick.
Wife, mom, but more importantly, a recovering alcoholic with a grateful heart. For years, I struggled, not just with alcohol, but with an eating disorder and the burdens of guilt and shame. On March 22, 2018, I surrendered my life to Christ. I was 51. God did not forsake me. He welcomed me, as undeserving as I am. He did not see my brokenness. Instead, He saw my potential. My Recovery Journey is one of Faith. From the ashes of my failures, God built a fire in me. A fire that guides each step I take. My journey is yours. My healing can be yours, too
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