The Rot Before the Resurrection: When God Lets You Break to Build You Back (A Testament to God’s Promises)

Transformation isn’t instantaneous—it’s a journey. For years, I fought God’s call by clinging to distractions and old habits. But God won’t take what you don’t give Him.

• Surrender is the key to rebuilding.

• True transformation happens when we release control to Him.

Growth often requires letting go of what no longer serves you—or Him. Discomfort around people, habits, or patterns is God’s nudge to release them. Vulnerability in the breaking process is fertile ground for transformation. What feels like loss is so often God making space for something greater.

Not everyone will understand your journey. Some will judge your decisions. Others may dismiss your transformation as “acting better than them.”

The pain of being misunderstood is part of the cost of freedom. Let go of their opinions. Focus on becoming who God is calling you to be.

Jesus tells us in John 12:24: “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

God often uses breaking and loss to create new growth. He doesn’t let parts of us die to harm us but to bring forth fruit. Trust that the breaking is part of His divine plan.

Here’s what surrender taught me:

• God won’t take the wheel until you give it to Him.

• Surrender requires consent—you must say, “Lord, I’m ready for You to drive entirely,” and let go of the proverbial wheel.

• The journey may be painful, but God uses the breaking to make you whole.

The rot is not the end—it’s the beginning.

God works through the breaking, the pain, and the moments that feel like endings. He is clearing the ground for something new, more alive, and aligned with His purpose for you.

Even when it feels impossible and you feel shame that threatens to keep you in the shadows, your story has value. YOU are so very valuable.

Sharing your journey can inspire someone else to open their heart. Your story can serve as a light for those still in the dark. Every tear and sacrifice has a purpose in God’s plan.

Psychologist Richard Tedeschi explains that personal growth often comes from pain. Nature teaches us this too:

• Leaves decay, enriching the soil for new life.

• Rot is preparation, not an ending.

God uses this same process in us, as reflected in His Word.

Isaiah 61:3 reminds us that God gives us “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.”

He transforms our brokenness into something radiant. He is with us in the breaking and the rebuilding.

Even when it doesn’t feel like it, your surrender to God is not in vain. Every tear, sacrifice, and misunderstood moment is building a life aligned with His purpose.

Trust Him—what He’s building in you, and through you, will be worth it.