Reason #963
We got to meet our college group tonight. I know I've already talked about them a time or two over the past month, but I am really excited about the opportunity we're getting to work with them. We had them over to our house for our first group meeting tonight. Breakfast was on the menu for dinner, and we cooked up some pretty sad looking pancakes and really crispy bacon. Either they were being really polite, or they were really hungry, because they ate it all. I don't even know how it tasted because by the time we finished frantically cooking, I wasn't hungry. I just needed a drink of water and time under the fan. I should have gone with waffles. I am better at those. Well, anyway, no one left sick so I'll count that as a success. I'm pulling out the Crock Pot next week along with one of my no-fail recipes.
We finished dinner and then sat in the living room and shared our stories with them. We felt it was important that they knew how we got to where we are today. Aaron and I both like to be transparent because we feel like God's power is most evident in our lives that way. No one can relate to perfection, and we certainly don't want to lead anyone to believe that we're perfect. If we do that, we have to try and live up to it. It's not wise to set the bar that high for yourself. And so we shared a little bit more about who we are with our group, and while it's never easy to be transparent with people you hardly know, it's freeing. I think the enemy likes to whisper things to us like "Don't tell them, they will judge you. Don't let them know your story or they'll think less of you" in an attempt to keep us quiet. And the truth is, we believe it. We allow ourselves to keep our lives private, our stories suppressed, and we don't share. But I've found such freedom and encouragement in sharing because we all struggle. We're all imperfect. No one is spotless, and if they are right now, they won't be forever. But mostly, we really wanted to share our stories with them because we wanted them to know that we understand. We know what's it's like to fail. We know what it's like to feel worthless and useless. We understand shame, we know exactly how it feels to be broken and desperate. We know how heavy guilt and regret can feel. We know what it is like to be confused and uncertain. We can relate to heartbreak, disappointment, difficulties, temptation, and trials. We've been where they are. We remember it well, and we wanted them to know that God can do anything with our stories despite our pasts.
It never gets old. I never get tired of telling people what all God has done and continues to do for me. I love sharing my testimony because I am always amazed at how God has worked things out. I lived through, I walked that road, and yet even I am still sometimes amazed by how God has done in my life when I start to share my story. But what I love most is that we live a never ending story. For God's children, it just keeps going and going and going and going. God doesn't just save you and move on. We fall into a trap of thinking that our testimony is simply focused around the day that we professed Jesus as our Savior or the day we got baptized, but that's just the start. That is where it all begins. Because your story is so much more than a one time event. It's on going. It's still being written. It is full of surprises that you've yet to encounter. Things that will shape you going forward. Circumstances that will change your life and teach you more about the Lord and more about yourself. It's a story that is being divinely written. A story that, while is being played out by us, should really be about God. A story that points to Him, to His power, to His mercy and His grace. Because you might have chapters or pages in there you don't really like, but you know what, everyone does. The majority of your story might be messy and heart wrenching and packed full of regret, but that's okay. That's not the full story. That's only a part of it, and in the grand scheme of eternity, it's a small part. God can do so much with our very little, and He can write pages of redemption that far outnumber the pages of regret. But you've got to hang in there. Let Him keep writing. He'll make your story complete.
#963 - Because the pages of redemption far outnumber the pages of regret.
"With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home." - Exodus 15:13
We finished dinner and then sat in the living room and shared our stories with them. We felt it was important that they knew how we got to where we are today. Aaron and I both like to be transparent because we feel like God's power is most evident in our lives that way. No one can relate to perfection, and we certainly don't want to lead anyone to believe that we're perfect. If we do that, we have to try and live up to it. It's not wise to set the bar that high for yourself. And so we shared a little bit more about who we are with our group, and while it's never easy to be transparent with people you hardly know, it's freeing. I think the enemy likes to whisper things to us like "Don't tell them, they will judge you. Don't let them know your story or they'll think less of you" in an attempt to keep us quiet. And the truth is, we believe it. We allow ourselves to keep our lives private, our stories suppressed, and we don't share. But I've found such freedom and encouragement in sharing because we all struggle. We're all imperfect. No one is spotless, and if they are right now, they won't be forever. But mostly, we really wanted to share our stories with them because we wanted them to know that we understand. We know what's it's like to fail. We know what it's like to feel worthless and useless. We understand shame, we know exactly how it feels to be broken and desperate. We know how heavy guilt and regret can feel. We know what it is like to be confused and uncertain. We can relate to heartbreak, disappointment, difficulties, temptation, and trials. We've been where they are. We remember it well, and we wanted them to know that God can do anything with our stories despite our pasts.
It never gets old. I never get tired of telling people what all God has done and continues to do for me. I love sharing my testimony because I am always amazed at how God has worked things out. I lived through, I walked that road, and yet even I am still sometimes amazed by how God has done in my life when I start to share my story. But what I love most is that we live a never ending story. For God's children, it just keeps going and going and going and going. God doesn't just save you and move on. We fall into a trap of thinking that our testimony is simply focused around the day that we professed Jesus as our Savior or the day we got baptized, but that's just the start. That is where it all begins. Because your story is so much more than a one time event. It's on going. It's still being written. It is full of surprises that you've yet to encounter. Things that will shape you going forward. Circumstances that will change your life and teach you more about the Lord and more about yourself. It's a story that is being divinely written. A story that, while is being played out by us, should really be about God. A story that points to Him, to His power, to His mercy and His grace. Because you might have chapters or pages in there you don't really like, but you know what, everyone does. The majority of your story might be messy and heart wrenching and packed full of regret, but that's okay. That's not the full story. That's only a part of it, and in the grand scheme of eternity, it's a small part. God can do so much with our very little, and He can write pages of redemption that far outnumber the pages of regret. But you've got to hang in there. Let Him keep writing. He'll make your story complete.
#963 - Because the pages of redemption far outnumber the pages of regret.
"With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home." - Exodus 15:13