Day 1

Genesis 1-2 | Philippians 1:1-18 | Psalm 1

“And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
—Philippians 1:14

Pain confines. Loss restricts. Suffering isolates.

That’s how my injury has often felt—like a prison, locking me into limitations I never asked for. Some days, it’s the physical pain. Other days, it’s the weight of knowing life will never fully go back to “normal.” Either way, it’s easy to let hardship shrink my world down to what I can’t do, what I’ve lost.

And then I read this verse.

Paul’s imprisonment wasn’t a roadblock to ministry—it was the very thing God used to embolden others to speak the gospel with courage. The chains that should have silenced him became the pulpit that amplified his testimony.

It makes me wonder: What if my suffering isn’t just something to endure? What if God is using it, right now, in ways I can’t yet see?

I’ve already seen glimpses of it. The conversations I’ve had with people who never would have opened up to me before. The way my family has drawn closer through this trial. The prayers from friends I didn’t even know were praying. My “imprisonment”—this season of pain and limitation—hasn’t been wasted.

I don’t always feel strong enough to endure what He’s asking of me. And the truth is, I’m not. But that’s the point. His power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). What I see as confinement, He sees as an opportunity to display His strength.

So instead of asking why this happened, I’m learning to ask, “How is God using this?” How is He shaping me? How is He sanctifying me? How is He speaking through my scars?

Lord, help me to stop dwelling on what I’ve lost and start trusting in what You’re doing. Use my pain, my limitations, and even my doubts to display Your faithfulness. Teach me to see every trial as part of Your purpose. Amen.