Letting God write the story!

This morning I had the awesome opportunity to speak at a Women's breakfast in a nearby town.  The title I picked after a lot of prayer and searching was:  Let God Write your Story
To my many amazing Facebook friends that prayed for me, THANK YOU!  You know that I just wanted God's truth and the theme of His faithfulness in our lives to shine through.  And He was totally faithful.  It went well and I got to meet some incredible women.  I don't know if they understand how much they encouraged me.  Some of them shared their stories of pain and survival.  One brave woman shared her distrust of Christians.  I prayed on the way home that she would be able to know how much God loves her and her family.
The bottom line is that we all have a story.  It is either being written by God or by us.  When we write the story, it brings glory to us and we face the temptation of going down a bitter path when crisis hits.  But, when God writes our story, it is about His glory and His faithfulness.  I hope it didn't come across that I had it all figured out, because I don't.  I'm as flawed as they come.  But, I cling to Him and the HOPE He offers me.  Being a Christian doesn't mean you'll have a perfect life.  You can be incredibly obedient and still walk through sadness. But, I believe that God uses those times to grow the character in us and to prepare us for what He created us for.    It was a really great morning and I am really honored that they let me share.  Looking forward to next weekend at Metro Community Church when we'll get to address the topic of fear.
Have a great day, friends, and spend a few minutes contemplating the story that is being written in your life.
jilly

Harrisburg, Illinois

On Good Friday, we loaded up our family (work boots and all) and got in the car at 5:30am for a 2 1/2 hour drive to Harrisburg, IL.  Several weeks ago, Harrisburg was rocked by an F4 tornado that left a path of destruction that you would have to see to believe.  I have to admit that I had a hard time sleeping the night before we left.  I had no idea what to expect.  Would I just stand around and cry?  Would there be anything for my youngest kids to do?
When we arrived, we stopped in at the Dorrisville Baptist Church for our instructions.  We were led to a work site in an impoverished part of town.  Apparently, after "Operation Blessing" pulled out, and Harrisburg was denied Federal funding, they still needed help.  Operation Blessing did an amazing job with the immediate needs.  But, as new communities are hit with natural disasters, they must move on and help stabilize.
So, on one side of town, there are nice homes (albeit destroyed!) that have adequate insurance and are in the process of bulldozing and rebuilding.  Across town, there is an area of smaller homes owned by folks without insurance.  This is the area that needed help the most.
We were led to a work site.  One of the owners was an elderly man.  Several large dumpsters were delivered to our site and we were asked to clean up debris and put it in the dumpsters.  The goal is to clear the land of debris, let it turn to pasture, and rebuild something small and affordable for the owners of the land.
I'm just going to say that the experience was amazing!  We worked along side others that were there to simply help someone less fortunate.  My kids were insane!  They hauled shingles, concrete pieces, and other debris for hours.  They never complained and my heart was touched as they treated the small treasures they uncovered with deep respect.  We remembered our own clean-up.  We remembered the wonderful people that helped us walk through that time and we remembered a faithful God that held us through the sadness.  It was an amazing opportunity to share the love that had been shared with us.  And I won't lie.  It felt pretty sweet to come home to our rebuilt home and see through fresh eyes how far we've come in a year!
I heard something really cool today on the radio.  The announcer was interviewing a man that wrote a book recounting his own trials.  His story was vastly different from ours, but the common denominator was the same.
Pain.
He commented that he felt like God was asking him to be a wounded healer instead of a bitter victim.  I let that soak into my heart today.  He mentioned that when we experience pain in life, we have the option to choose either way.  But, staying in our bitterness or questioning God is a slap in the face to Him.  He has given us HOPE.  I can recall all of the ways God has been hope to us in our darkness.  Therefore, we have the great opportunity to take that pain and use it to help someone else in their healing.  That made so much sense to me.  Something bad happened to our family...but we don't have to stay there.  We had the joy of seeing God bring HOPE into our lives through His provision, the love of family and friends and the truth that we carry in our hearts.
So, going to Harrisburg was an obvious choice.  That doesn't make us amazing.  That doesn't make us cool (although, we do look pretty gangsta in our family pic above)
It just makes us ordinary people that are excited to share the Hope we have in Christ.  My prayer is that the beneficiaries of the work we did will see that same hope and that it will change their lives!
My challenge to you (because we all have our own painful stories...)is to look deep into your story and see the ways you've been given grace and love and hope.  Be a wounded healer.  Use the hope that has lifted you from the deep and use it to give someone else that same hope.  You might be the only person they can identify with.  You might be the one to encourage someone else.  Use your story for good. :)  And if you want to join us on our next adventure...just let me know. :)  We'd be happy to have you along!!!

Cross that bridge when you get to it...

Apparently "B" hasn't had enough quality time with me lately.  He scheduled an episode of strep two weeks ago and he injured his foot yesterday.  Hubby and I had a fight  disagreement about how "injured" B really was and per usual...I pushed for urgent care and he took a "wait and see" approach.  Since I'm clearly the crazier of the two and I often use my insanity to confuse and bewilder my husband....B and I were in the car headed for some shiny x-rays before hubby could say, "I think its just a sprain!"
I'm not going to actually say that I was hoping for a break...because that would be TERRIBLE mothering. But, I kind of wanted to be right.  You know...the whole, "I'm more in tune with our kids than you are" thing???
As it turns out, Hubby was right and I paid $50 bucks for a Phineas and Ferb sticker.  B asked me to buy him an iced tea (half cut)-who is this kid???  Of course, I said, "NO!" and then he gently reminded me how brave he was during the x-rays and I turned the car toward McDonalds.  And then we got home and he went running out into the yard for a water gun fight with the neighbors.  In his defense, he really does have an injury.  Right foot is very swollen and bruised.  But, the water gun fight looked super awkward as he hopped through the yard trying to avoid the spray of water.  It was very UN-matrix like.
You know...sitting in the dr. office waiting on the results put me in a very reflective mood.  I thought about how we all deal with pain differently.  And I'm not talking about physical pain.  I'm pushing the button of emotional pain.  I thought about how our symptoms don't always point to the real culprit.  I thought about how hard it is to see some injuries...they are just too deep.  But, I do know people that are hobbling through life right now.  Does it make it worse when we don't deal with the pain?  I don't have the answers.  No, wait...I do.  I remember a time when I was wounded.  I had given so much of myself away that I was eventually numb to the pain.  But, I did hit a breaking point.  I did hit bottom.  And thankfully when I hit it, I wasn't alone.  I know that God changed my life.  He gave me grace.  He made me new.  The old me, the broken and bruised me, is dead.  Today, I am living a crazy full life.  Yes.  Bad things still happen in my life.  But, I  have a peace that I had never experienced before.  I know that God has my back and I know that He works all things (even the crap) together for my good.
Easter is approaching.  I don't feel like I'm being real if I don't tell you that I am a Christian...unashamed and in love with Christ.  Easter may be linked to the Easter bunny and chocolate (cadbury eggs?  yes, please!) But, for me, it is all about the cross.  That cross was the bridge from my old life to my new life.  It is the reason that I can confidently tell my kids that I'll never break my promise to love and stay married to their dad.  It is the reason that I can withstand the storms of life.  It is the reason that I can walk the road of adoption and welcome one more little person into my home.
I was broken and the cross healed me.
If any of you ever feel like you want to cross that bridge too, say something to me.  I will totally let you lean on me as you hop across.  :)
Big love to the readers tonight.  Have a wonderful week, everybody!!