The Five-minute Friday word this week is STORY
GO:
I remember as a new believer sitting at
camp and listening to the dramatic story of a girl rescued by Christ
from drug addiction.
My own story seemed so dull in
comparison.
What I didn't realize was that my
salvation was just as miraculous as hers, because on my own I am just
as prone to wandering and addiction. (We all are.)
During my twenties, because I didn't
fill my soul with nourishment from His word, I searched for
satisfaction in ways that led me away from Him. In the process, I
added plenty of color to my story:
the color of mud.
Sometimes I slipped into muddy pits as the result of carelessness, and other times I dove right in.
In the process, I found
that there is nothing more dull and unsatisfying than a life apart
from the Creator. That “dull” story I had at age 15 proved to be
the exciting one!
Fortunately, Mother Teresa was right
when she said: There is no pit so deep that the love of God cannot
go there.
One day after years of empty searching
and pit dwelling, I found myself driving along a highway near the
Canadian border with my new baby. Out of the blue, I began sobbing
for the closeness I had lost with my Savior. I had wandered so far
from Him that I had to confess to Him:
“I don't even know if You are real
anymore.”
All He wanted was for me to recognize
it, to admit it.
He slowly crafted my storyline in a
new direction—one that was headed back to Him.
Today, the baby who was with me that
day is now a beautiful 18-year-old woman, and I delight in the story
that Jesus has woven out of even my mess. He truly pulled me out of
a pit, washed me clean and restored me. Mine is a story that is an absolute miracle
of grace.
My prayer, however, is that my children
would grasp the truth that one need not go into a pit to be rescued
from it.
I pray that they will realize what I
missed: that a life that trusts the Creator ends up avoiding pits.
And that is the most exciting
rescue story of all.
STOP
I have had the same thought about my salvation story not being as interesting or colorful as others, but we are each blessed to have the stories that we have .... that is what makes us unique! We are all loved by God no matter what our story is!
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DeleteI agree! And one of the gifts God has given me is plenty of friends who have stories of complete trust in God's goodness and timing. Because of them, I can show my kids examples of how God's ways bring freedom and blessing.
DeleteDear Mary,
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful story of our Lord's grace, mercy and redemption. How marvelous He is to pull us out of the pits we wander into or dive in, clean us up and set us on a new road. Beautifully written. Thank you for your openness and transparency.
In Christ...Susan
Thank you for sharing this....it is absolutely beautiful. I love this prompt...and I love reading things that remind me of my own story. I also had to redefine my relationship with God when my son was a baby...and he is now 18....and off to college. I pray for his sake he chooses wisely...and doesn't have to fall in the mud puddle first. :)
ReplyDeleteTracy
Dear Life from a MOm of boys
Thanks for sharing. I am sure you just gave a testimony that for a good many believers is the same. Myself included. It is amazing how Satan can tell us a lie such as your testimony is not all that great who will want to hear it and from there moves us to the edge of a pit that one day we find ourselves looking up and shouting for our savior to forgive us for not being thankful for His salvation and a less colorful life. How ungrateful we so easily can be!
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