Exchanging beauty for ashes...

Dear friends,
We shouldn't be surprised by suffering or when we're bulldozed by life. It is part of living in a fallen world. "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12) Instead, we should be surprised by God's healing power that springs forth from the depths of our pain. God is mighty within us and is committed to restoring us. He is on a mission to revise, refresh, and resurrect the dead places in our souls that have been caused by severe wounds. "If you return to me, I will restore you....I will give you back your health and heal your wounds." says the Lord (Jeremiah 15:19, 30:17). To restore means to bring back to a former or original condition. God's restoring work in scripture means that He always improves, increases, and multiplies something above and beyond its original condition.

If I were to invite Jesus to visit over a cup of tea (I don't drink coffee), I believe he would share his heart in this way: I have good news for you. I am with you. I want to comfort you and heal your broken heart. At this very moment, I am pushing back hell and fighting your battles for you. I am avenging you. Before long you will experience the spoils of victory. I see all the details. You deeply grieve your losses, and your grief is valid. I want to fellowship with you in your suffering. Come to Me. Allow My Spirit to touch your wounds. I promise I will replace your devastation and despair with My Spirit of gladness and joy. This isn't something you can do. It is something I will accomplish for you. Don't look back; don't gaze back at Egypt. I am delivering you to the promised land. Trust me...I am the God who created you for a greater purpose who loves you with an everlasting love. Hang in there; don't give up. I'm not only in the storm with you, I'm in the boat - it will not sink - you will not perish.

He will exchange your ashes for beauty.....God has the remarkable ability to touch the wounds we endure, turning them into a launching pad for His plans and purposes. He will be glorified!!!

Praise be to the Living God!

It's days like this....

It's days like this when you lose your marriage, your job and your children move away, that you find yourself wondering "what's happening?" What's happening is I have found myself more dependent on the one thing that's doesn't change - God's love! Through these past few months, He continues to show me that He doesn't move. When the world is spinning out of control and nothing seems to be going right, He's still there. His word never changes, His promises are true and He is faithful to complete what He has started in me. His word is powerful! Well meaning friends keep saying "God doesn't give us more than we can handle." My response is "Yes, He does. If we never had more than we could handle, then we would never need Him." I've had more than I can handle and I've had to throw my hands up in surrender to Him. What a relief when I finally did open my hands, close my mouth and look to Him. The past few months of my life have been turned upside town and left me completely dependent on Him as my husband, provider, shelter, refuge, peace and Father. I'm more than confident in saying "I'm in His grip" and He won't let me go...I can yell, cry, kick and scream; laugh, jump for joy, dance and sing and He still loves me. I make Him smile and I can trust Him to always want the best for me and His love is unconditional. There's something comforting in knowing that even when I screw up, He loves me and forgives and forgets. My big brother, Jesus, made this way for me and I'm forever grateful......