With Me Through It All

If you are anything like me, you have a very colorful histroy and more than a few skeletons in your closet. As I have said before, I was once very ashamed of my past, but today, I embrace it and am thankful for EVERY single thing that has ever happened. Today, I remember a time when my life was in complete turmoil. Details are not important, but on this particular day, I was crossing the Mexican border. Lets just say that it was complete and utter chaos. You might not have memories of crossing the Mexican border, but I am sure you can recall a moment in time in which chaos and confusion took center stage.

I remember how I felt that day. I felt lost, in every meaning of the word. I felt alone. I felt disconnected from everything I had ever known and loved. I felt hopeless, scared, confused and useless. I was so far gone at the time. I had no one to turn to and was too ashamed to reach out to anyone. Talk about a miserable day....no, a miserable existance. I didnt know it at the time, but God was with me through it all. It was all a part of His magnificant plan. It was a testimony in the making!

Throughout the Bible, God used ordinary people in order to reveal His majesty. I cannot, nor will I ever compare myself to any of them, but three particular people of the Bible have come to my mind today. In Mark 16, Mary Magdalene went from being possessed by seven demons to being one of Jesus' most devoted followers, who was present at the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! . In Acts 9, Saul was struck down on the road to Damascus while on a mission to torture the Christians, whom he hated. Saul experienced immediate conversion, so complete that even his name was changed to Paul, who went on to write most of the New Testament. The woman at the well is my absolute favorite person from the Bible, not counting God and Jesus, of course. In John 4, this unnamed woman met up with Jesus at Jacob's Well in the heat of the day at a time in her life when she was caught up in her sin. Jesus touched her life that day and completely turned her life around.

We can all draw encouragement from these very important people of the Bible. God loves even the sinner, He just hates the sin. Jesus was sent to save that which was lost...and I am so thankful. Take a moment to think about this. We are all so very special, even when we are at our worst. We serve an awesome God...one who showers us with continuous forgiveness, grace, mercy and love.........if only we let Him!

Romans 8:6 To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace

Awesome message of redemption and hope. One of my favorite stories is of Saul. Love this message:

"We are all so very special, even when we are at our worst. We serve an awesome God...one who showers us with continuous forgiveness, grace, mercy and love.........if only we let Him!"

I feel like I'm on a cliffhanger though. I've crossed the Mexican border on several occasions. They've got some great camping spots out there, off-road recreation, and beautiful beaches. Now, I go out there because my father lives out there. What I'm dying to know is, what brought you to the Mexican border? And, why was it a bad thing?

Well...........it is a long story, but I was somewhere that I didnt need to be, doing something that I didnt need to be doing...it is only through the grace of God that I didnt get into serious trouble. I was no angel!