Never again be shamed…

I’m sitting in this park that I’ve brought my daughters to for picnics, skippin’ stones in the lake and just hanging out and thinking of what a journey we’ve been on.  My girls were so little when we first started coming here.

Over the years, life started getting pretty messy and I’d come here at times without my girls to just cry out to God for all the mistakes I made, remorse and shame over where I was, begging God to protect my girls in our situation.

Just broken.

God would meet me here, He would whisper to my heart His love and encouragement to keep going.  He put people in our life that were a tangible example of God to us, He surrounded us in love.  I’m forever grateful to these people who invested in us.

I find myself here again but in a completely different season of life.  A season of praise and gratitude.  This mother who would come to cry, scared, sad, frustrated, confused and overwhelmed with life  now sits here weeping with such joy, praise and glory to The One who redeems.

Sunday we had baptisms at church, my heart was so overwhelmed  watching the obedience of 34 people making their faith in Jesus Christ public.  So many are near and dear to my heart personally. 

A single Mom and her son, a brother and sister, the drummer from the worship band, two special needs brothers that needed total quiet in the sanctuary so they wouldn’t be frightened & an accident survivor, just to name a few. 

I had moved up front away from my family to take some pictures.  Sitting with my family is probably the sweetest thing for me.   

We come from different sets of railroad tracks – we are a step family.   We are all very different but love and accept each other right where we are, undoubtedly a gift from God.

During baptisms our church opens it up to the whole church,  whoever didn’t ‘sign-up’ can come up!   There were so many that made decisions right then to do this, so many amazing God stories.

As each one came around the partition, the pastor announced their names and we would all just go crazy!   Life changing decisions made right before our eyes.  A HOT MESS is how I’d describe myself…until the last name called – unbeknownst to me was my youngest daughter Jordan!

Hot mess went to blubbering idiot in a flat 2 seconds

She had been baptized before a few years ago, but now she is a few weeks away from 18; in a more mature place.  She’s made some very hard life changing decisions lately that amaze me and now she does this as well.

Pure JOY!

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that  she is responding to the Lord, never something I’d of even considered at her age.

My girls have been through so much.  A life they wouldn’t of chose but had thrown at them, my heart breaks for this.  When I bring this pain to the Lord, He comforts me and says He restores…

Joel 2:25-27… 25 “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten— the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm — my great army that I sent among you.  You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.  Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed.

He has restored so much, I AM praising the name of the LORD my God, He has worked wonders for us!!

Are we all where we want to be or think we should be?  No…but I look back at those early years of despair & shame as I cried in this park and am amazed; remembering  the pain of yesterday and PRAISING GOD for the Joy of today!

I don’t know where you are today, what struggles you are facing – but I do know that God see’s you and your situation. 

He knows exactly where you were, are and will be…Do not give up, do not lose hope. 

He is Hope.

Live in Him

He is the Restorer, in His time as we live for and wait on Him.

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