When God Blesses Through Subtraction

Maybe you know me.

Maybe you've heard my name through Can't Break Me Retreats.

Yes, I am Kristel Robinson, founder of Can't Break Me Retreats, and I have had the privilege of empowering women through transformational experiences in Costa Rica, Bali, Thailand, and, God willing, many more places around the world.

But today, I don't want to come to you as a retreat host.

I want to come to you as a woman who has walked through trials and tribulations.

For many years, I have faced battles I never expected.

Most recently, I lost my beautiful sister to cancer. She was young, vibrant, deeply loved, and her passing left a void that words cannot fully describe.

Less than a week later, I found myself facing another devastating chapter. After years of enduring domestic violence and ongoing conflict with my ex-husband, I was forced from my home and into a small apartment while waiting and praying for justice.

If you had asked me years ago whether I would have chosen any of these circumstances, my answer would have been an immediate no.

Yet standing here today, I can tell you something I have learned through every loss, every disappointment, and every heartbreak:

God is not only present when He adds to your life.

He is also present when He takes things away.

We live in a world that constantly celebrates more.

More money.

More success.

More recognition.

More possessions.

More achievements.

But some of God's deepest work happens through subtraction.

Some of His greatest blessings arrive disguised as loss.

That is why I find myself identifying with the words of the Apostle Paul:

"If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness."

Because it is often in our weakest moments that we discover God's greatest strength.

Today, I don't want to boast about the countries I've visited, the retreats I've hosted, or the awards I've received.

I want to boast about the struggle.

I want to boast about the moments when I had nothing left but faith.

The moments when I couldn't see the way forward, yet God carried me anyway.

The moments when my circumstances told me to give up, but His presence gave me the strength to keep going.

What I have learned is that there is no amount of money, success, influence, or achievement that can compare to the intimacy with God that is developed in the valley.

Some of the greatest blessings of my life did not come through gaining.

They came through losing.

They came through surrender.

They came through heartbreak.

They came through seasons I would have never chosen for myself.

And while I would never wish pain upon anyone, I can honestly say that some of the most transformative encounters I have had with God happened in the very seasons I was praying to escape.

If you find yourself in a season where it feels like you are losing more than you are winning, do not assume that God has abandoned you.

You may be standing in the middle of your greatest season of transformation.

The struggle you are facing today may become the testimony that changes someone else's life tomorrow.

The pain you are carrying today may be producing a level of faith, resilience, wisdom, compassion, and strength that could not be developed any other way.

God often does His deepest work in our darkest seasons.

And sometimes the version of you that God is calling forth can only be born through adversity.

So don't despise the struggle.

Don't despise the waiting.

Don't despise the pruning.

Because the same God who blesses through addition also blesses through subtraction.

The same God who opens doors also closes others.

The same God who gives can also ask us to surrender.

And somehow, through it all, He remains good.

Today, I do not speak to you as a woman who has all the answers.

I speak to you as a woman who has learned to carry grief, scarcity, pain, betrayal, abuse, disappointment, and injustice with grace—not because of who I am, but because of who He is.

And if there is one thing I know for certain, it is this:

No matter what is happening around you, God can lift you again.

No matter how much you've lost, God can restore you again.

No matter how dark the season, God can still bring beauty from ashes.

That is why I am passionate about creating spaces where women can come together—not because we have perfect lives, but because we are all learning how to trust a perfect God through imperfect circumstances.

Spaces where women can heal.

Spaces where women can grow.

Spaces where women can reconnect with their faith.

Spaces where women can remember who they are, even after life has tried to convince them otherwise.

Because sometimes the greatest gift is simply realizing that you are not walking through it alone.

And if my story has taught me anything, it is this:

What feels like the end is often the place where God begins writing a new chapter.

So if you are in a difficult season today, hold on.

Keep trusting.

Keep believing.

Keep walking.

The valley is not your final destination.

God is still writing your story.

And His plans for your life are greater than anything you have lost along the way.

With faith,

Kristel RobinsonFounder, Can't Break Me Retreats