This weekend I went to the spa to celebrate the birthday of
one of my dearest friends. It had been far too long since the last time that I
had a massage so I was extremely excited and anticipating the relaxation. As I
comfortably positioned myself on the table the masseuse informed me that my
back and shoulders were really tight. I’m no newbie to massages but this one
was a unique experience because the Holy Spirit decided to minister to me right
there on the spot (God is always prepared to speak to His children).
In my experience, the massages that have relieved the tension
and made my body feel better were the ones that were uncomfortable during the
process. In simple, the masseuse adds
additional pressure to areas that are tense in an effort to provide
relief. In order to endure the pain I
have to breathe deeply and force my body to relax. After a good massage I am usually sore for
the rest of the day but on day 2 my body feels NEW, Relaxed, and Relieved.
Over the last week I have been faced with fear, anxiety, and
doubt regarding personal things in my life and I’ve been jumping some spiritual
hurdles as God requires greater faith and trust from me. Right there in the
middle of my massage God took the opportunity to teach me how similar my relationship
with Him currently is to what I was experiencing at the spa.
He spoke this to my heart: “You came to me excited, eager to
lay on my table and in full anticipation for an experience that would ultimately
make you better. You looked at my
credentials and my track record of success and you stretched out before me in
submission to me working on you to ultimately make you better (holy, righteous,
set apart, Christ-like, patient, disciplined, loving, longsuffering, meek,
patient, etc.). I began to work on you;
to work the toxins out of your life, to remove things that didn’t look like me
from your heart, and to put my heart and character inside of you. I know, I
know, it doesn’t normally feel good when I’m in the middle of working these out
but just like with the massage, in those times you have to “breathe deeply
(focus on my word and know that any pain that you are experiencing is out of my
love for you – Romans 8:28), and force yourself to relax (by using the power of
the Holy Spirit working inside of you).
I know just how much pressure that you can bare and because of my love
for you, I will never allow that level to exceed. As I am working out the issues you can have
confidence knowing that this is ultimately for your good and out of my love for
you and my desire to do my job as your father and savior in excellence. Yes, you feel a bit sore immediately after I’ve
made some critical changes and uprooted some deeply rooted issues but trust me,
I replaced those things with something far better. A day after our massage is over you will
realize that you’re far better than you were before the process. You’re
regenerated, you have more joy, and you feel like a new woman and guess what?
You ARE! You are less like Kristin Sarai and more like Jesus Christ. So, the
next time you lay on my table, don’t tell me to decrease the pressure, don’t
complain about the tension, just rest in My peace knowing that I love you and
every time that I am applying pressure it’s for your ultimate good and to bring
you to your expected end. I love you more than life itself, so I stretched my
arms out and died so that you would live.”
Once again, it’s amazing how God will shut down your little
pity party and give you a way of understanding the way that He works. In 2013,
God is still speaking in parables! LOL Today, I hope that you find
encouragement in knowing that your sufferings (this is specific to people who
are truly seeking to honor God with their lives in obedience) are God’s way of
molding you into the image of Christ. He is near to you during the suffering
and He will work it out for your good. Be encouraged!
With love,
Kristin Sarai
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