What if the place of your greatest pain could become an altar to God's greatness? In Genesis 35, God tells Jacob something unexpected: "Arise and go back to Bethel." Not forward to new blessings, but back to the place of trauma, fear, and failure.
Here's the truth we often miss: God isn't just interested in your future. He cares deeply about healing your past. Jacob had to return to the spot where he once used a stone as a pillow while running for his life. That stone represented his security in something rather than someone. But when God met him there and poured fresh oil on that pillar, everything changed. What was once a marker of pain became an altar of praise.
We all carry stones. Some we use to build walls. Some we use to hurt others. Some trip us up. But when we bring those stones to God and let Him pour His Holy Spirit over them, they become testimonies of His goodness. The place you thought was dead becomes the place where God shows up most powerfully.
Your identity isn't discovered through self-help. It's recovered when you let God speak truth over your story. He's calling you not based on where you've been, but on where you're going. And sometimes that journey requires going back to heal what you've been running from.
What stone are you carrying today? What pillar moment is God inviting you to revisit with Him? Let His fresh oil transform your pain into an altar that displays His glory.
