Looking Back In Order to Move Forward………….
I share as I see the hand of God woven through my life and it helps me to move forward with faith and courage!
There once was a girl who was shattered and broken from the sins of this world. She spun in circles trying to make sense out of life. She tried to make rational sense out of irrational behavior and could never find peace in the chaos, conflict and confusion.
And then she heard the gospel of Jesus. This was a message so filled with love that she had to learn more. She jumped in full force and started learning who this Jesus was and what/who he represented. In the midst, her own heart began to soften. She began to “see” people as souls running around in circles responding to a lost world. She not only saw the brokenness of her own soul, but of those who wove through her life each day.
She was so excited to learn of this new “worldview” and desired to share it with everyone, yet so few wanted to hear. This lead to a season of unraveling years of distorted thinking. She dug into scripture even more as she searched for truth and consistency. She made charts and diagrams displaying what were from God and what was from the evil one. She searched the cause and effects of good and evil. She then moved to a season of overwhelming grief. She “saw” the extent of sin in this world and the devastation that it caused in the lives of so many. The sin is woven into every level of society and people are spinning in circles trying to make rational sense out of irrational behaviors.
In the midst, she was blessed to encounter so many new people who “saw” as she did. She traveled to many places near and far and witnessed the love of God mixed in with the sin.
As a nurse, she cared for many people in their homes at varying stages of their lives, all the way to death. The scripture came alive as she immersed and leaned into their lives. She witnessed first hand the cause and effects of good and evil. She found that even the poorest of poor could still have joy in their lives if they knew the love of Christ.
She witnessed the beauty of God’s creation. She cruised Highway One in California and fell in love with the spectacular views of the ocean meeting the mountains. She immersed in the lush greens of Hawaii and its endless beaches. She visited Yosemite State Park and captured amazing views of Gods sovereignty as depicted in the huge rock formations. She traveled to Africa on several occasions and learned new cultures, languages and ways of living. She ate foods that were sold from little shacks on the streets. She learned to make African dishes with Mamma’s that could not speak English. She traveled the vast opens lands of the East Coast of Africa on a big bus touring the Safaris of Africa. She was amazed to learn of the “lives” of the wild animals. She witnessed the beauty of Capetown, Germany, Scotland, Romania, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Holland and Scotland.
In the mix of beauty, she cared for the poorest of poor that were segregated from society because of their deformities and illness. She saw abject poverty, voodoo, and corruption. She witnessed the deception of syncretism and humanism, and the spreading of the prosperity gospel. She toured the villages in West Africa where the slave trades took place.
Along her journey, she learned to rely on` scriptures to discern what was truth from the Word of God or just fleshy opinions and varying philosophies. She saw good mixed with evil. She came to a crossroad along her journey and knew that she had a choice to put off the old and put in the new if she desired to make an impact in this world. She learned that this was going to be a process. It would not occur overnight. She would be put in situations or she would have to put herself in situations that challenged her and help to mold her into the image of God. She had to learn to put on love instead of hate. She had to learn to forgive and grant grace and mercy as God had granted her.
And that she did. She spent her days immersed, living “in” the world, but not of the world. She engaged in the Fruit of the Spirit, discerning God’s word every step of the way. She held her possessions loosely; enjoying them for the current season, and was ready to move on if the call or need arose. She learned to stop and smell the roses, never wanting to miss God’s love that surrounded her. Most of all, she was filled with the wisdom and love of Christ, always ready and willing to share the Story of God’s love for humanity.
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