Rise- Danny Gokey

“There's a brokenness inside of you

There's a wound that still reminds you

Of the fear, shame and rejection

You have seen it, you have seen it”

We all have experienced brokenness and wounds in this thing called life. It cripples us from the inside out and often prevents us from fully living life to the present. When I was rejected by Ally, (mentioned in entry Open Hands), that is where I was. I was broken and wounded. I was fearful of pursing other opportunities in dating. I thought this could be the end of me pursuing romantic relationships. Fear, Shame, and Rejection were very real things to me.

“So rise

Breaking the dark, piercing the night

You're made to shine

An army of hope

Bringing the world

A radiant light

A radiant light

You were made to rise, rise”

So I pursued God with everything I had in me, finding ways to serve and love him in the midst of all my brokenness. It is if God was calling me to rise above my circumstances and dedicate my whole life to him.

Then God surprised me and put the desire within me to pursue online dating for one last time. I said to God, “Okay, I will”, fully expecting to be rejected once again as I had in previous attempts in online dating. It is in this one last attempt, I met my wife, Jennifer, while she was serving as a missionary in Ecuador.

The lesson of rising above my circumstances has come back to the forefront in the two years of our marriage. We have faced various circumstances that would have broken many marriages. However, we have chosen to build our marriage on Jesus and chose to rise above our circumstances.

I urge you, friends, to rise above your circumstances and turn your eyes upon Jesus. It all begins with recognizing that God is with us in our circumstances, but that he has something more and something better for us in the middle of them. It could involve going after dreams and passions that you thought were dead. Maybe using your gifts and talents at your local church or agency.

Make one step today towards a glorious surrender to Jesus. Rise.