The Point of Low Points | A Book Excerpt- Ken Gurley

Disappointment, hurt, and hardship visit us all. No one knew this better than Joseph. He lost his mother at a young age and then was betrayed by his brother, sold into slavery in Egypt, falsely accused of sexual impropriety, and wrongly imprisoned. His life was filled with low points, and yet he emerged as a sterling example of faithfulness and ultimate triumph.

The Point of Low Points examines God’s purpose behind the low points Joseph faced and how they shaped Joseph into the man God intended him to be. You’ll find encouragement in this book as Ken Gurley shares timeless principles from the experiences of Joseph and presents direction for not only surviving setback, but letting it mold you into a thriving Christian.

Paul said that God comforts us during our trials so we may comfort others who are enduring similar trials (II Corinthians 2:1–4). Click To Tweet

Book Excerpt from The Point of Low Points (Chapter 8)

Perhaps you are in an unavoidable storm, a storm not of your own making. I feel for you. I weep with you. Or, you may be in an avoidable storm, a storm of your own making. I feel for you as well and I weep just as sincerely. For I know that the latter type of storm heaps the flotsam and jetsam of oppressive guilt and stinging regret.

Hope is an essential force in a storm survival kit.

Storms, avoidable or unavoidable, bring untold damage and should prompt the same response from those who care.

As I write this, I just got a text message from a young husband in our church. He and his wife have wanted a child for so very long and their dream seemed realized a few months ago when they received news that she was expecting a child. Joy turned to sorrow today when the doctor said, “The baby’s heartbeat has stopped.” The text stated that they wanted no visitors, only prayers. My wife and I prayed for the young couple and later I told her, “We weep with you. We know that God sees and His great heart breaks for you. And that even in the midst of this, though we don’t yet see how, He will make all things beautiful. Grow strong in the comfort and knowledge that He is at His closest when we are at our weakest.”

Where did those words originate? Not from a book, but from personal experience. Personal storms teach us some vital things that can and must be shared. Paul said that God comforts us during our trials so we may comfort others who are enduring similar trials (II Corinthians 2:1-4). Storm-taught lessons can perhaps help others form the bulkheads and seawalls to protect their hearts and minds from utter devastation. At the very least, the counsel of others who have shared our experiences is a prized scrap of blue tarpaulin to partially shelter you from the storm.

It’s worth much to know that others have been there and that they somehow survived. Hope is an essential force in a storm survival kit.