confidence through suffering.

hey everyone! with this series on confidence, i naturally had to ask my friend carley to share a little bit of her story. carley is a senior in high school and has definitely learned what it means to suffer and how to trust God through her suffering...especially when her senior year didn't quite turn out how she imagined. she has always been pretty confident, but i really think the Lord grew her in this area during the past several months. what strikes me the most is that her faith has never wavered and she has remained so steady. go ahead and read her story and be encouraged for yourself :) 

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So about 6 months ago, while volunteering with my church, I was viciously attacked by a 90 pound Akita dog. My bottom lip was detached and I had severe wounds on my hands, legs, and neck. As you could probably guess, this wasn’t exactly the ideal situation for a 17-year old girl only a few months into her senior year. As any normal girly girl like myself would, I had things like Senior Prom on the brain; how was I going to wear my hair? What would my dress look like? But needless to say, after this incident, those questions were gone from my mind and new ones arose. Was I ever going to have a full face again? And even if I did, what would it look like? I’m not going to pretend that these last 6 months have been easy, because they certainly have not. I’ve had my fair share of good days and bad days. The questions I had/have aren’t easily answered and people have let me down along the way. It is natural that when something this ridiculous happens, you cling to the things that make sense in your life. And for me, that was the work Jesus did on the cross; nothing else matters. There is no reason for me to feel ashamed of what I look like. There is no reason to feel self-conscious or to worry what other people think. Jesus conquered that for me a very long time ago. And although my face changes with each surgery, nothing about who I am is changing besides the fact that I am becoming a stronger, better, and a more mature person. I consider myself a living testament of the work that Jesus can do in people’s lives and that to me makes me more beautiful than ever. 

Here’s a verse that I think can really help anyone with keeping faith and confidence in the things that God has promised us through suffering.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” 

1 Peter 4: 12-13

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a picture of carley before the attack. she is so beautiful here... but i can honestly say that even after the attack and through all her surgeries she is more beautiful than ever because of what Jesus has done within her. 

via