God is pretty amazing! The last week or so God has just proved Himself over and over for Rick and I.
There are things you learn in church and spout off in Sunday School, small groups, or in conversations with people. You say them with great intentions and a true belief in what your are saying and then God moves in your life to actually PROVE His promises to you. It leaves me so in awe of Him and His unending love for me.
If you had told Rick or I 17+ yrs ago (or even some times in the course of our marriage) that God would take our tragedies, our poor choices, our angers, our hurts, our rebellious hearts, our bitterness, and our failures and use them for His glory we would have not only laughed but called you a liar. He has done just that though. God has worked those past situations that were so painful, so life altering, and so ugly and used them for His glory in our own lives. We would never have believed we would be praying in public (me), or teaching a class (Rick), or meeting with people to share our experiences with them (both of us). He changed us both from something so unlike Christ to people who want to point others to Christ.
God has allowed us to do things over the years for Him and He has put people in our path that we have first hand experience in what they are going through and we can come alongside them. Lately, God has put numerous situations in both of our lives that He has "required" us to draw from our past failures and hurts to help someone else. It has been painful at times for us, going back is never easy you relive your mistakes and the pain they caused you as well as others. At the same time it is so awesome to see where God has brought us through it all. It is humbling to know that God can use us and not just that He can but that He wants to use us. Sometimes it has been conversations directly with someone, sometimes it has been standing in the gap for someone in prayer, sometimes it has been a group conversation, sometimes it has been a txt/card/email. In all these situations, though, God has called us to get involved in people's lives to get in the trenches with them, to tell them " God can and will do it for me and HE can and will do it for you".
I have been so awed by my Savior this past week and I think I can speak for my husband and say he has been too. We have not arrived by any means and still have our own struggles daily. We have just been amazed by God lately and His desire to use us in other peoples lives. He truly does make beauty from our ashes!
"He has sent me ...... to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:2-3
"There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.
A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time mourn and a time to dance" Ecclesiastes 3 :1,4
