“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2
“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” I John 4:4
“Write about it. Stop running from it. Let that pain be your inspiration. And then you’ll have something that people can believe in. But to do that, you’ve got to face your fears.” From the movie, “I Can Only Imagine.”
As I sat in the theater watching the movie, “I Can Only Imagine”, I was deeply touched by the true story of Bart Milllard’s unimaginable hard life. Seeing the depiction of how he suffered such deep physical and emotional pain, as well as total rejection by his dad, was very sobering. The song, by the same name as the movie, was birthed out of that unimaginable pain. It is a special song to me because it was one of the songs chosen for my daughter Shelly’s home-going service in late 2016. Our family was blessed on such a day of sorrow and grief to face heavenward, imagining what Shelly might be experiencing as she walked the streets of Heaven. That day, Bart Millard’s words comforted me greatly.
I also related to the above quote which was referenced in the movie, because it encouraged me to keep doing something that I love. Write. It inspired me to continue turning my pain into something useful through written thoughts from my heart. Those lines were the encouragement that I needed to put aside the many doubts and fears I feel from time to time. When you are an introvert to begin with, and you’re putting these types of written messages out before family, friends, and strangers, it can be a bit intimidating and scary. In my human way of thinking, it has many risks. For me, it takes a lot of trust. Not in myself; not in others; certainly not in social media; but in the only One who truly knows my heart.
Today, I continue to write—in my own style, from my heart. In many ways, it’s my spiritual and emotional therapy. I have given my heart and mind to the Lord and asked Him to use it all, not for any credit to myself, for surely I am 100% more comfortable observing from a corner somewhere. My only desire is that He would help me to continue turning lemons into lemonade—to be a good representative for Him—with the goal of encouraging others and bringing glory to Himself.
God is so good—completely trustworthy and faithful! I continue to lean heavily on Him, knowing that it is He who sustains me every moment of every day. He is ever faithful and always there to help each of us.
Today, I’m wondering if there is anything—pain, sorrow, grief, health issues, fear, family issues, unforgiveness, uncertainty, decisions that need to be made, discouragement—anything—in your world at this moment that weighs you down? If so, I pray that you will look up, reach out to God, and trade your burdens for His peace. Jesus will meet you right where you are. He’s on duty 24/7, and is ready and willing to help you make sweet lemonade out of those lemons in your life.
Prayer: Dear God, how we love and honor You with every fiber of our being. We praise You for Your everlasting love, and we thank You for never letting us go. Thank you so very much for helping us to turn the lemons of our life into something beautiful and pleasing to You. Help us this day to share the sweetness of our faith with those who need encouragement or who are in need of a Savior. All we need do is look around and we see how much others need You. Give us words and the opportunity to serve you in this manner as long as we live. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
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