Tears into Rejoicing (Messes into Masterpieces)

Along the way I’ve discovered that the mistakes I make can change the course of my life. Often my choices define who I become, but thankfully God is the Great Sculptor, taking the mess I’ve made of my life and shaping it into something new, something transformed by the His delicate touch, something truly beautiful.

I have a choice, I can either allow those mistakes to continue popping up in my life, a repeating pattern of self-destructive actions, or I can turn it over to God. I can allow my past to be a dark stain on my future, seeping from my soul and staining everything I come in contact with, or I can allow God to transform that stain into a masterpiece.

God can take His paintbrush and paint those trials and mistakes right into the painting of my life. I can then look back and see the beauty God made from a sinner like me. My mistakes can become beautiful reminders of God’s amazing grace, a place for me to start when speaking to others, a testimony to the saving power of the Almighty God.

So join me as I ask God to create a masterpiece from the mess of my life—a masterpiece that reflects His glory, allowing God to create a life that is a testament to His love and amazing grace. Join me on this joyful journey as I allow God to transform my tears into rejoicing.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): God is creating a masterpiece of my life one day at a time.

Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany: God is the great Gardener, planting His love deep in our hearts, watering, nurturing, and growing it until it produces the sweet fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Dispelling the Darkness (Defeating Despair)

Along the way I’ve been guilty of listening to the dark echoes of despair and doubt speaking to my heart. These seductive voices whispers, “Listen to the doubters; they speak truth, embrace despair. Your life is simply an endless procession of meaningless days stretching out into hollow, empty years that end in death—final and pointless.”

These whispers, if allowed, will overwhelm me, dragging me into the darkness, extinguishing the light.

Thankfully, I am not left defenseless against these insidious enemies. I am fully armed, ready for battle; daily putting on my armor, cinching down the helmet of salvation, strapping the belt of truth tightly round my waist, adjusting the breastplate of righteousness snuggly over my chest, covering my feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, and boldly taking up the shield of faith which easily extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. With this protection firmly in place, I confidently wield the sword of the Spirit—the word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)

Even with all this protection in place, sometimes the darkness still tries to sweep me away, so I cling steadfastly to the Light of Life, the Rock of my Salvation—Jesus Christ.

In those dark moments of my life, I show the darkness the glint from my polished armor and the flash of my powerful sword, then I cry out to my Rock—the One Who gives me strength, the One Who never fails me, the One Who always stands by my side—and together we face the darkness of despair and doubt. He shines His light into the dark corners of my soul, cutting through the despair, cutting through the doubt, and casting out the darkness with the everlasting light of His glory.

God has already won the victory over darkness! All I need to do is stand in the Light that dispels darkness and hold on my Rock that is Christ. If I let Him, He will dispel the darkness, even the darkness of a soul consumed by doubt and despair.

So join me as I resolve to daily strap on the armor of God and stand firm by His side as He fights the darkness in my life giving me victory and a chance to celebrate this joyful journey.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): Darkness cannot hide from the light of God glory.

Between the Blogs

Personal Challenge: I am challenging myself to have at least one conversation each day where I am fully immersed in another person’s views and ideas; a conversation where I focus solely on that person and what’s important to them; a conversation where relevant questions are asked and true listening happens; a conversation devoid of interruptions, interjections, or side stories; a conversation that leaves out the usual heavy dose of “I,” “my,” and “me.”

Between the Blogs

Bible Blessings: Before you knew God, you were dead—nothing more than a spiritual corpse. Your life was a dead-end road steeping in a cesspool of sin. But God climbed down into that filth, took you in His arms, and rescued you! He forgave your litany of sins and gave you a new life in Christ. He dismissed the bevy of accusations leveled against you. That’s right; all charges have been dropped—wiped out! God nailed them to the cross on Calvary. It was there that Jesus defeated evil! It was there that Satan’s disguise was publicly stripped away, exposing him to the entire universe as a fiend and murderer. It was there that Love stood victorious. ~Colossians 2:13-15 (Randy Reed Paraphrased Version)©

His Mysterious Ways (Letting God be God)

Along the way I’ve noticed God’s footprints everywhere; clearly He’s working in every corner of the globe, repeatedly reaching down to rescue us from the darkness we’ve embraced.

I am constantly amazed by the methods God uses to touch my life, and I have ceased trying to decipher His plans for me (or for others).

Recently I’ve been deeply moved by this biblical passage: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT).

The beautiful truth is that God will use any avenue necessary to save me. And I find comfort in the fact that He has an infinite number of rescue methods that He individually customizes to insure the best possible chance of a successful rescue.

God comes down to connect with us where we are and He will, if we allow it, cultivate a deep, singularly unique relationship with us. We are all on a spiritual journey and God is in the middle of the fray fighting fiercely for our souls, continually drawing us to Himself, using every ounce of His power to reach out and save us.

So join me as I stop trying to dictate to God how He should work (both in my life or in the lives of others), and instead allow Him to transform my thoughts, constantly refining me so that one day when He looks at me He will see a reflection of Himself.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): God’s ways truly are mysterious, wonderful, and abundantly diverse.

Choosing Beauty (A Conscious Decision)

Along the way I’ve discovered that we find what we look for—in situations and in the people around us.

This world is filled with beauty and ugliness; sadly, the beauty—this God-given loveliness—is all too often marred by the jagged scars inflicted by a sinful world. Every moment of life is a choice; we choose where to go, how we spend our time, what to talk about, what to dwell on, and what we think of others. Many situations are saturated in darkness, but there is always light. And what we choose to dwell on dictates what we see in the world around us and in the actions of others.

Recently I have made a conscious choice to look for the beauty and light God created in each of us. In every situation I look for the beam of light spotlighting the hand of God at work. In my conversations I continually seek ways to bring Him glory. And I try to direct my every thought to the God who created me, because I have discovered that where my thoughts go my words and actions will soon follow.

But I can’t do it alone, so I start each day with this simple prayer: God, guide all my thoughts directly to You today.

So join me on this joyful journey as I seek God’s handiwork in the world around me and allow His presence to permeate every aspect of my life, giving Him free reign to transform me one thought at a time.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): In this world there is light and there is darkness; thankfully, when Jesus died for our sins He gave us the option to forever turn our backs on the darkness and to choose an eternity of light.