Barbra Gentry-Pugh

Anchored by the Crushing

August 31, 2025

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8–9

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17

It is evident that a significant number of my weekly devotionals frequently revisit topics related to pain, suffering, and trauma. It is not by accident; being led by the Holy Spirit is intentional. I have seen pain take root in the body physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Many carry invisible wounds of the soul. These spiritual injuries are often harder to detect, yet are often the most debilitating.

My passion for holistic healing was not birthed in a classroom but in the crucible of real-life experiences and challenges. I often say my patients have taught me more than any textbook ever could. Many of their lives revealed what I had also experienced personally: the interconnectedness or the interrelatedness of the mind, body, and spirit. God opened my eyes to the truth that we were never meant to live compartmentalized lives. He designed us to be whole, and He wants to heal us the way He designed us!

Over the past several weeks, my Pastor, Dr. Aaron L. Chapman, has been delivering a powerful series on the“Battle for the Mind.” This past week, he painted a vivid picture of the battlefield within our thoughts and the danger of allowing them to dictate what we do and ultimately who we become. He reminded us that when fear, negativity, doubt, and others consume our minds, our lives inevitably drift in that direction! But when we take hold of the mind of Christ, our thoughts are transformed, and His character is revealed in how we live.

This conviction only deepened as I cared for patients in behavioral health settings and formal and informal counseling, observing firsthand how emotional wounds, spiritual disillusionment, and relational trauma often manifest in physical symptoms. I encountered fractured lives, souls desperate for healing beyond prescriptions or procedures. It was in those moments that Healing From Within was birthed: first as a concept, then as a course, and now as a ministry, rooted in God’s heart for restoration.

Over time, I came to recognize a deeper, more sobering reality: pain, when left unaddressed, becomes a barrier to our calling. When our minds are not being transformed and we do not take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ, we become stuck, not because we lack faith, but because healing has not taken place. Unresolved grief, hidden shame, broken trust, and spiritual disappointment build roadblocks against the abundant life Jesus promised. But when we anchor our minds in Christ, renewing them daily with His Word and promises, we experience stability in spirit, peace in our emotions, and even health in our bodies.

Yet, as I reflect on this journey, I no longer resent the hard places. Instead, I have learned to be grateful for the seasons and situations that crushed my heart, because they anchored my vision. The hard places in life often feel unbearable while we are in them. They come as heartbreaks, disappointments, betrayals, or losses that leave us feeling crushed, sometimes beyond repair. Yet, those very places are where God does His deepest work. For me, it was in the crushing that clarity came. It was through the breaking that purpose emerged. What once felt like unbearable pressure became the soil in which my calling took root.

The Crushing, the words of the Apostle Paul remind me of this truth: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed” noted in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. When our hearts are crushed, our pride, self-reliance, and illusions are broken down. God removes what hinders us so He can build something eternal.

I became grateful for the hard places in life that crushed my heart ~ because they anchored my vision.

I can truly say again, “I am grateful for the hard places in life that crushed my heart but anchored my vision.” Allow me to explain! Gratitude in this context doesn’t mean enjoying pain ~ it means recognizing that even in the crushing, God was molding and shaping me to be a useful vessel for HIM. What felt like devastation became divine preparation. The anchor of vision is Christ Himself, who steadies us and gives us direction when the winds of life are against us.

The Anchoring of Vision ~ Just like an anchor holds a ship steady in the middle of a storm, keeping it from drifting or being dashed against the rocks, so do God’s promises hold the Believer in Christ secure in life’s fiercest storms. The storms of life often flood us with fear, worry, and doubt, yet in Christ we find stability and safety. Painful experiences, though hard, give our faith deeper roots. Instead of drifting aimlessly, we discover clarity; instead of despair, we discover hope. In Jesus, we are grounded and secure through the difficult, uncertain, and often painful seasons of life.

Pain, suffering, and trauma have a way of narrowing our focus. They strip away what is temporary and teach us what truly matters. In the crushing, we are pressed into God’s presence, where our eyes shift from our own plans to His greater purpose.

No matter what storms arise, God’s promises remain unshaken. He does not want His children to be set adrift, but to be anchored in Him. Hebrews 6:19 reminds us that our hope in Christ is “a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls”. Unlike the uncertain, feelings-based hope the world offers, the Christian’s hope is firm and secure because it rests on Jesus and the unchanging promises of God. This hope steadies us through every storm. It is “both sure and unshakable”. Everything else is shifting and fleeting, but Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” Hebrews 13:8.

YES, I can truly say “I am grateful for the hard places in life that crushed my heart but anchored my vision.”

Hebrews 6:19 reminds us that our hope is “a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” Unlike the fragile, feelings-based hope of this world, our hope is firm and secure because it rests on Christ and His unchanging promises. No matter the storm, Jesus remains the same yesterday, today, and forever – Hebrews 13:8.

One of my favorite Scriptures is Psalm 32:8 in the New Living Translation says, The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

The truth remains, God often uses the crushing places in our lives: the losses, betrayals, disappointments, and unexpected turns. This is not to destroy us, but to prepare us. A seed cannot bring forth life unless it is first broken open. In the same way, our hearts, when pressed and crushed, become the soil where God plants vision, purpose, and ministry:

Preparation for Testimony: The crushing gives credibility to your witness. You are not just speaking of what you read, you are testifying to what you lived through.
Preparation for Purpose: Pain refines your priorities. It strips away what doesn’t matter and clarifies God’s calling for your life.
Preparation for Ministry: Ministry is birthed in brokenness. The very area that once caused tears becomes the platform where you speak with authority and compassion.

Just as olives must be crushed to release oil, and grapes must be pressed to produce wine, God allows the hard places of life to prepare us for something greater than ourselves. What feels like breaking is often the making of your testimony.

God can use the very pain that once tried to destroy you to deepen your compassion, sharpen your discernment, and call you into ministry. So today, just talk about your healing, live it, and invite others to do the same.

YOUR HEART CHECK:

Think back to one of your own “hard places.” Instead of only seeing the crushing, ask yourself:

What vision did God anchor in me through this?
What did He clarify or redirect in my life?
How is my faith stronger because of what I endured?

YOUR HEART CHALLENGES: Reflect on a time when your heart felt crushed, and did it also anchor you to something deeper in God? What clarity did God give you through that season? How has the pressure of pain pressed you toward purpose, and how has your pain prepared you to encourage someone else? In what way can you anchor your vision today in God’s promises, even if the process feels crushing?

Every crushing is an invitation. What looked like an ending became a beginning. From the crushing comes the oil, from the pressing comes the wine, and from the breaking comes the birth of ministry.

PRAYER:    Father God, thank You for Your authoritative, inerrant, and inspired Word that reminds us we are anchored in You. Lord, thank You even for the hard places, for in the crushing seasons of life, You are at work. The hard places may have bruised us and even broken us, but they did not destroy us. Thank You for using those very places to shape us into useful vessels, anchored in Your truth. Thank You for every crushing moment that rooted us deeper in Your grace, so that others might find healing through our testimony. You used those seasons to sharpen our vision, prepare our hearts, and give us a message of hope. Help us to see that even in the crushing, You are cultivating oil for ministry and fruit for eternal impact. We pray this in the precious, powerful, and preeminent name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.