The threshing floors will be filled with grain;
the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.
“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
Joel 2:24-26
...You will praise the name of the LORD your God who has worked wonders for you: never again will my people be shamed...
This winter the LORD my God has worked wonders for me... and, Saturday, with my mom and my sisters present, I got to proclaim that He is a God that redeems... restores... renews to a group of 50 women and sisters in Christ.
There is a point on a timeline that I can not find... the evidence is all there... I just can't pinpoint the exact location of the time when I took the fruit the enemy offered me and devoured it. The fruit that tasted sweet for a moment and slowly destroyed my heart... a fruit-salad of bitterness, anger and self-sufficiency.
For months I lashed out at God... angry for events in my life... angry for the destruction of my body... angry for how He created me. As the anger and bitterness took over my heart and mind, my soul became a parched and demolished... no vegetation or signs of growth were left... all felt destroyed.
He loves me! He loves me enough to pursue me when I am on the road to self-destruction. He loves me enough to hound me until all I can do is turn around to Him. He is my Redeemer and my Redeemer lives!
In the deep of winter, my soul found joy... my mind found peace... my heart found grace... His love flooded grace, peace and joy into the dry desert of my heart, mind and soul. And, though, there are months that equal years of destruction, He is repaying those... restoring me... redeeming my life for His glory.
Much of the restoration came from His words in Ann's book One Thousand Gifts and counting 1000 gifts of grace... gratitude from my heart to Him. I've reached 1000 and I can't stop counting.... because the counting is a way to thank Him for restoring the years the locusts destroyed.
On this Multitude Monday, my list continues...
#1555~#1579
... the rumble of thunder
... a gentle spring storm
... the way lightening moves across the sky and lights up my room
... the promise of Spring showers for May flowers
... warm air
... the sound of Spring peepers
... keeping windows open just a little while longer to listen to their song
... snuggling under down comforter listening to Creation sing His song
... a foggy morning damp with promise of regrowth
... a school bus that allows me a few more minutes of sleep
... a weekend packed full of cousin time
... a camper to give 3 teen boys their space
... seeing 4 girls squeezed onto one bunk bed
... the giggles that accompanied that
... cousin sleepovers
... the hotel pool that entertained 9 cousins while moms were away
... the dads willing to keep 9 cousins and allow us a day away
... squeezing a few more minutes together on Sunday morning
... a game of Settlers of Cataan before they went on their way
... a family that wants to get together
... a beautiful facility available for our Ladies Day Out
... the sound of women laughing
... seeing hands held and heads bowed
... a group of women from several different churches coming together as the Bride of Christ
... the opportunity to praise His name!
thanks for the fun weekend. . .we all had a great time. It was a perfect break for the kids!
ReplyDeleteSaturday was great! Thanks for letting us tag along!