A kind gentleman recently asked me to share my story with him. He had heard from someone else that I’d had some pretty rough experiences and wanted to “get it from the source.” I’ve always been an open book when it comes to my past so I wasn’t surprised that a mutual friend shared a snippet. The Lord has been kind and gracious to me over the years and it is my delight to tell others of His faithfulness, so I gladly shared some of those stories and answered his questions. After an hour of conversation, he shook his head and asked, “So after all of that, how did you come to be the executive assistant to the senior pastor of a megachurch in Colorado Springs?!”
Well, let me tell you about my Jesus!
We all have dreams about our future. As a little girl, my friends had aspirations of being a doctor or an astronaut. Some wanted to be a cowgirl or racecar driver. I wanted to be a wife and mom. Sometimes I would get teased that “anyone can be that,” but that was my dream and I stuck to it….sometimes adding the role of teacher to the list.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
So when life took unexpected turns, those dreams began to dwindle. Rather than reaching for the stars, I found myself keeping my head down. Honestly, some days were about making it to the end of the day – not dreaming about days to come. As sad as that is, what I discovered was the presence of the Lord with me. He was with me in the early days of dreaming and the later days of setting those dreams aside. It was training ground for me to learn that despite what I see around me, the Lord is always with me. It was an opportunity to discover that I was stronger than I thought because He gives me strength. It was an opportunity to realize to the very depths of my soul that He has a good plan for my life. Despite what I see around me.
Have you ever wondered how you got here? Have you ever wondered how life’s twists and turns brought you to the place you are now? Perhaps it is exactly where you hoped, and it is a delight to be present in this time. Perhaps it is unexpected and disappointing – wondering if the Lord remembers those dreams He placed in your heart. I have good news for you…
Nothing is wasted.
God is the expert at using the unexpected and making something beautiful out of it. He is the Restorer and Healer. Our God is mighty to save and abundant in love. He is God with us. As we surrender to Him, He weaves situations and orchestrates time for our good and for His glory. He uses it all!
Trust in the Lord withal your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
And He reminds us of our identity. We are not what we do. Instead, He uses who we are to bless others with what we do. The enemy would like to convince us that our identity is wrapped up in our responsibilities. It is a web we can easily get tangled up in. We need to shake off that web and remind him of Whose we are. Our identity is a child of God, submitted to His lordship, trusting in His good plan, and walking in His authority with anything He places in our hands. That is a great place to be!
The next time you look through the pictures of your past, remember to look for the Lord there too. If you find yourself discouraged with where you are now, remind yourself of His faithfulness. He is a good Father who knows and sees you. Take heart and trust His love over you. Be encouraged that He is with you in the fights and the victories; in the known and unknown; in the anticipated and unexpected. And His whisper over you will always be…
You are adored.
You Are Adored 