Some people walk into your life for just a season—but in that short time, they drop a truth so deep it changes the trajectory of your faith. They’re not always “church folks.” They may not even know Jesus the way you do, but God employs them to hand you something you need for the next stretch of your spiritual journey. Don’t ignore that wisdom. If you do, you just might miss the breakthrough you’ve been praying for.
If you can catch it—if you can grab the truth they’re carrying—it can flip the script on your life. I’ve had this happen more than once, and always during seasons when I was tired, worn down, and just trying to make it through the week without falling apart. That’s when God sent a truth-speaker my way—fierce, unfiltered, and unapologetically confident—while my own confidence had packed up and gone missing.
She wasn’t quiet or “easy to be around.” She took up space. She woke the room up. Honestly? She annoyed me at first. I wanted peace, predictability, and control. She was anything but, and that didn’t matter. I couldn’t push her away no matter how much I tried. Almost like the snip to her snap, she stuck close.
Galatians 2:20 (NLT) says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” I knew that verse, but living it? That was another story. I was dragging around the memory of my old self—exhausted, hurt, and looking like everything I’d been through. But she looked at me and saw someone stronger than I felt. God let her see my future faith while I was still sitting in my present weakness.
Her story made mine look light. She had been through the fire so many times that her strength had been forged like steel. Yet she still had that spark—that unshakable “God’s got me” glow. Standing next to her, I realized something: I didn’t have to wear the sadness I’d been through like a name tag. The battle hadn’t broken me—it had built me. And if God was still giving me breath, there’s no question—He wanted me to shine.
Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) reminds us, ““3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Every trial is building something in you that you’re going to need later. And that glow people see on the outside? That’s your faith in God shining through.
The truth is, eyes are always upon you—from the people you inspire and to the people who can’t stand you. Either way, never let them see the enemy’s lie in your posture. Let them see your faith front and center.
If you’re in a hard season right now, hear me: God did not bring you this far to leave you. You may be tired, but you’re still here. You’ve survived what you thought would take you out. That’s worth celebrating. Tribulation didn’t just bruise you—it sharpened you. And remember Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT): “So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” So hold your head up, sister-girl. Walk like you know you’ve already won. And whatever you do—don’t dress like the battle broke you, because it didn’t. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Battle Didn’t Break You—Stop Dressing Like It Did” written by Rev. Fran Mack. Edits by Kim Times and K. Lizzie for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2025. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.