Junkie to Jesus Follower
Lunatic to Lover of God
Rebel to Restored
Sick with Sin to Saturated with Salvation...
It's all about Redemption.
I've said it a hundred times, and I will say it a thousand more... Redemption is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
I can't even begin to comprehend that the Creator of EVERYTHING would care enough to make a way for me to be right with Him. That He would give up his most precious creation ever, His only Son, for me to have hope and healing and life forever...
I think sometimes as people we walk into a church or a group of other people and we compare our insides to everyone else's outsides.
It's a game you can never win.
I picture a woman on a church stage singing with the worship band. She walked into church that morning with a nice looking husband and a couple of older kids. They sit up near the front and are friendly with the people around them. The pastor greets them with familiarity when he arrives at their row. They seem to have been a part of this congregation forever, they have friends at every turn and are involved in several ministries....
What people don't know is that the woman is a survivor of severe abuse. That she used to be a drug addict, struggled with suicidal thoughts and depression since childhood, battled eating disorders and insecurities, and really only came to know her true identity in Jesus in her mid thirties.
They have no idea that her husband was in bondage to crippling sin for most of his adult life, that he went through a divorce that made him wish he were dead, and that his business that flourished for several decades has barely had a pulse for over a year.
No.
They see the redemptive work of Jesus. The love and joy that only come from His touch on a life that has been reduced to ashes.
They see Grace.
I know this couple so well because the woman and her husband are us. My husband and I.
I see other examples of the Lord's awesome redemption frequently in other people's lives and I am always tempted to write about them. But today during the Sunday morning message the Pastor said this, "When we are blessed we should do two things: First we should thank the Lord for the blessing and next we should ask him how we can share the blessing with others."
Now, I know that we are blessed to be a blessing, that's something I believe wholeheartedly, but this impacted me in a whole new way. Having attended one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been a witness to last evening, redemption was fresh on my heart. The bride is a dear friend of mine and her story of redemption is nothing short of a miracle. The Lord pulled out all the stops to bless the wedding of she and her husband. His grace was tangible in the air and the work of the Cross was declared in such an amazing way.
It was Redemption at it's most precious, most beautiful.
The Lord brought to mind my own redemption story and the story of my husband. It is a huge blessing for sure to be free of so many chains that bound us both for so long. It is something that should be shared. His redemptive work goes on and on, reaching into areas that we weren't even aware of. He is thorough, patient, and kind.
I used to be one of those people that would walk into an event and compare my insides to everyone's outsides. I was miserable. I couldn't ever make up for my assumed deficits. I always left feeling more insecure and inferior than I had when I came.
The problem?
I didn't really know who I was.
I had bought the lie, FOR MY WHOLE LIFE, that my circumstances... my choices... my appearance... the things I had survived... my family or lack of it, defined me. It's an impossible burden to bear, a maddening mirage to try and chase. The idea that anything we do, or that can be done to us, defines us... is just that: A lie.
If we are in Christ, then we are absolutely and utterly defined by who He is and what He does.
The circumstance of the Cross defines me. His patient endurance of unimaginable abuse defines me. His choice to die the death of a criminal in my place defines me. His appearing after being laid in the tomb defines me. His Love, and the Love of the Father defines me.
I am Holy because He is Holy.
I am Loved because He is Love.
I am spotless because of His precious blood.
I am redeemed because He is my Redeemer.
I hope there never comes a day when I am not utterly awestruck by the beauty and miracle of redemption.
It would mean not recognizing the fingerprints of the Redeemer Himself.
"...who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion... "
Psalm 103:4
Forever Grateful ~
Lunatic to Lover of God
Rebel to Restored
Sick with Sin to Saturated with Salvation...
It's all about Redemption.
I've said it a hundred times, and I will say it a thousand more... Redemption is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
I can't even begin to comprehend that the Creator of EVERYTHING would care enough to make a way for me to be right with Him. That He would give up his most precious creation ever, His only Son, for me to have hope and healing and life forever...
I think sometimes as people we walk into a church or a group of other people and we compare our insides to everyone else's outsides.
It's a game you can never win.
I picture a woman on a church stage singing with the worship band. She walked into church that morning with a nice looking husband and a couple of older kids. They sit up near the front and are friendly with the people around them. The pastor greets them with familiarity when he arrives at their row. They seem to have been a part of this congregation forever, they have friends at every turn and are involved in several ministries....
What people don't know is that the woman is a survivor of severe abuse. That she used to be a drug addict, struggled with suicidal thoughts and depression since childhood, battled eating disorders and insecurities, and really only came to know her true identity in Jesus in her mid thirties.
They have no idea that her husband was in bondage to crippling sin for most of his adult life, that he went through a divorce that made him wish he were dead, and that his business that flourished for several decades has barely had a pulse for over a year.
No.
They see the redemptive work of Jesus. The love and joy that only come from His touch on a life that has been reduced to ashes.
They see Grace.
I know this couple so well because the woman and her husband are us. My husband and I.
I see other examples of the Lord's awesome redemption frequently in other people's lives and I am always tempted to write about them. But today during the Sunday morning message the Pastor said this, "When we are blessed we should do two things: First we should thank the Lord for the blessing and next we should ask him how we can share the blessing with others."
Now, I know that we are blessed to be a blessing, that's something I believe wholeheartedly, but this impacted me in a whole new way. Having attended one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been a witness to last evening, redemption was fresh on my heart. The bride is a dear friend of mine and her story of redemption is nothing short of a miracle. The Lord pulled out all the stops to bless the wedding of she and her husband. His grace was tangible in the air and the work of the Cross was declared in such an amazing way.
It was Redemption at it's most precious, most beautiful.
The Lord brought to mind my own redemption story and the story of my husband. It is a huge blessing for sure to be free of so many chains that bound us both for so long. It is something that should be shared. His redemptive work goes on and on, reaching into areas that we weren't even aware of. He is thorough, patient, and kind.
I used to be one of those people that would walk into an event and compare my insides to everyone's outsides. I was miserable. I couldn't ever make up for my assumed deficits. I always left feeling more insecure and inferior than I had when I came.
The problem?
I didn't really know who I was.
I had bought the lie, FOR MY WHOLE LIFE, that my circumstances... my choices... my appearance... the things I had survived... my family or lack of it, defined me. It's an impossible burden to bear, a maddening mirage to try and chase. The idea that anything we do, or that can be done to us, defines us... is just that: A lie.
If we are in Christ, then we are absolutely and utterly defined by who He is and what He does.
The circumstance of the Cross defines me. His patient endurance of unimaginable abuse defines me. His choice to die the death of a criminal in my place defines me. His appearing after being laid in the tomb defines me. His Love, and the Love of the Father defines me.
I am Holy because He is Holy.
I am Loved because He is Love.
I am spotless because of His precious blood.
I am redeemed because He is my Redeemer.
I hope there never comes a day when I am not utterly awestruck by the beauty and miracle of redemption.
It would mean not recognizing the fingerprints of the Redeemer Himself.
"...who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion... "
Psalm 103:4
Forever Grateful ~
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