Wounds Into Wisdom

Yesterday was a GLORY DAY for me & a dear loved one. And this morning I've been bathed in so many incredible thoughts & emotions... joy, thanksgiving, wonder & awe of God's timing & faithfulness. Oh, the mysteries of embracing God's timing to find peace!

I could say that I stumbled across a great quote this morning. But, I choose to say, "God lovingly placed this quote in front of me in His perfect timing with His loving faithfulness." When I saw the quote, I heard the following thought in my heart:

We can't do anything to change the past. The value of mistakes, hardships, poor choices, loss, pain, suffering and so much more is... to learn... to share... and to grow from them!

Today I'm reminded to allow God to work in & through everything that I face in life. He alone can...

Our Father God...

• is at working in ALL things. 
• gives us beauty for ashes.
• makes all things new.
• keeps His promises.
• completes what He's started.
• is the ultimate healer.
• and so much more!

Thank you God for your plan which wants our wounds to turn into wisdom! 

How has God turned your wounds into wisdom? Feel free to comment here or message me privately.

the stuckinindiana crazy footnote: I seem to be on a HUGE kick lately... being a bit over-the-edge at matching photos I've taken with quotes and/or scriptures. I can't get enough of it. I keep asking God... why am I so compelled to do this?? For someone who was certain she was going to die before she was of 35 and has declared over & over that she's just not quite right, I always seem to wonder... "Am I doing this because I'm going to die soon & God needs me to get it done before going home to be with Him??"

Linking with Ann Voskamp - A Holy Experience today... 

And I sat... and wept...

Today, I wept as I read words that "I" had written in an older post -- when I had opened my heart for all to see. That blog post exposes so much raw emotion within me. Will it touch someone else's soul?  Will the words I wrote open and begin to clean wounds in preparation for healing in another?  I don't know. I can only write from the heart. 

The intensity of emotion shook me... and, through the tears, I posted the following: 

"For those of you who write... or blog... are there things you've written that bring tears to your eyes? What joy to feel so deeply."  

Within moments one of my followers responded with:

"The blog I wrote last night brought tears to my eyes, but it wasn't joy."

My immediate response:

"I'll say this before i read your post... the fact that we can FEEL deeply... isn't that, in a way, JOY?"

With rain comes the rainbow.With tears come the promises.

It's said that one of the hardest things in life is "not knowing".  Well, I'd like to submit "not feeling" to the list.  There've been times in my life when I have not "felt" - insulating myself in a cocoon to protect me from the "real" of life. And, in those times, I've felt anything but alive. Feeling the pain allows me to know that I am alive - a living being, dealing with whatever life throws in my path. And, choosing JOY in those times makes all the difference.  Nothing will come my way that I cannot handle. But, I don't handle it on my own.  The only way that I'm able to handle anything is through my relationship with God, the Father; Jesus, His Son; and the Holy Spirit. I believe promises... and claim them... even when I don't feel it...

"The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy.

I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing." 

Jeremiah 31:3

There's so much pain in the story of the untimely death of Trayvon Martin.  There are so many unanswered questions.

How do we deal with it? 

We feel!

Please read the blog which was shared with me by Beyond Normal Limits - Raising Boys In A Dangerous World  She felt the pain & she responded.

Dear God,

Thank you for feeling -- both the good & the bad.

Let me continue to look for Your promises with expectation.

Awake my feelings.

Bring reassurance & joy in the midst of pain. 

"I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth." Genesis 9:13 NLT

Opinionated Me :)

You know all those scriptures about God working through tough circumstances and bad things? Well, I have some opinions on that. I can't say it's exactly how GOD thinks about it but, it's my understanding & belief at this time. 

I look at God as a loving Father, one who cherishes His children. 

Matthew 7:11 "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" 

I look at Him as planning for the BEST for us in the future and in the long run - eternity. I take hope in those plans & trust in them. I try to so as the song says, I think I'll let God be God. 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." 

Seeing down the road of life can get "foggy."
Trust the ONE who sees beyond the fog!

I believe He allows things to happen in our lives but, no matter what happens that He will work GOOD through it -- if we will allow Him to do that. There's just something about the "little girl heart" in me that doesn't feel like God PUTS bad things in my life. 

I love the story about Joseph -- you know, the one whose own brothers beat him & sold him into slavery. When Joseph was confronted by his brothers later asking for help from the brother whom they didn't then recognize, Joseph had some choices to make. He had every right to be upset with them & "give them what they deserved". 
Instead he said in Genesis 50:20, "As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the position I have today so I could save the lives of many people." 

I believe Satan is working overtime to persecute us & cause us to stumble. I think he wants to ravage our bodies... our minds... our spirits! 
John 10:10 "The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

Despite that, if we will allow God, He WILL turn into good what was meant for evil & we can be put in a position to save others -- sometimes by merely bringing glory to God regardless of our circumstances. Sometime it's harder to do that than other times. But, a day to day relationship with God gives strength to do what we need to do each day. A new beginning each morning in Christ allows forgiveness, healing, restoration, renewal and the ability to be used by God and for His kingdom!

(14Mar10)