I was on Twitter today, and read a comment in business which prompted a parallel question. The question is, “What is this situation making of you?” We could substitute the word situation for ‘recovery timeline,’ road to recovery, affair, addiction, or gut wrenching miserable life.. As you and I both know the substitute words are endless, and none of them seem to relieve the pain and trauma.

But we can’t argue with the reality that this ‘situation’ is making something of us. We reserve the right to choose what this will make and is making of us.

Years ago I sat with Rick in his little office and cried like a baby at how difficult and painful my life was. I kept saying how bad this was and how horrible life was and that everything sucked. I was in a new city, in a new career with zero clients and zero friends in Texas. I had no ministry, seemingly no future, no love, no intimacy at home and very little hope.

Rick’s reply was, “How do you know this is really bad Samuel?” I wiped my eyes and said, “Because my life sucks Rick, and it’s all my fault.” His reply was, “Maybe this is really good though. Maybe things are falling into place. Maybe, just maybe, this all needs to happen so you’ll get it, and Samantha will get it, and you’ll be able to look back upon this season and understand what all this was making OF you.”

I hated that conversation, but it was truth nonetheless.  

I realized I had a choice to decide what the process was going to make of me. I couldn’t control Samantha, and I couldn’t control the hate mail, or the nasty phone calls, or the hurt of others, but I could control what I let this whole thing make of me.

I’m not perfect, as anyone in my life will tell you. Yet, I’m nothing of what I once was. Samantha will attest to that for sure, and my life in more ways than one attests that I’m no longer who I was. It’s a good thing. Samantha is no longer who she was.

This is making something of you my friend. It’s really, truly your choice what you allow it to make of you. I meet people all the time who have allowed it all to make them bitter, resentful, distrusting and challenging to even talk to.  This isn’t a simple caveat to make all of your life and all of your pain make sense, so forgive me if it comes across that way. My only intention is to hit somewhat of a tuning fork in you, like Rick did in me, which caused me to change the way I reacted to what was going on in my life through recovery.

I’m still in recovery and it’s still making something of me.