A God-Guided Story
Although I had not thought about Jesus since I stopped attending CCD as an adolescent, Jesus’ name came to mind. And not only did His name come to mind, but an overwhelming need to apologize and ask for help. All I could say in that moment was “I am sorry, Jesus. Please help me.” I fell asleep soon after.
I opened to the book of Genesis and began reading. I spent the next few days reading about 200 pages sequentially in the Bible. I had no idea what I was reading. But that didn’t matter to God; He met me exactly where I was.
To Wrestle with God
Every day that I wrestled with the Lord in doubt, denial, faintheartedness, grief, or grumbling, I can now look back on with joy, because He met me there, and He has overcome
Reframing
I sit at the kitchen table alone, stewing in my feelings. I saw a pen and grabbed it. I begin writing on the napkin. As I begin to write the words “angry” and “ashamed,” I begin to wonder… “Where are these feelings coming from?” and “Are they from God?”
The enemy wanted to steal the joy of that memorable experience and he knows temptation of restriction is the most powerful way to steal my joy.
The Joy in the Journey
If God had told me five years ago that I would be leading prayer groups about body image issues, I would have frozen in place. “No thank you, God. That is the last thing I see myself doing or have any desire to do, ever!” I was right in the middle of the hardest part of my recovery journey.
Promises in the Storm
Have you ever been in a season of life where your prayers turn into pleas? When you've prayed, “Lord, where are you? You could so quickly fix everything! What is the point of prolonging this?” Claim His promises and thank Him for His Presence in the storm.