always a treasure

Each week I put a little bit of money away in my book jar, and when I have enough saved I treat myself to a trip to the bookstore to pick out a book.  Usually there are so many to choose from it is hard to decide and whatever I don’t buy on that trip I either get on my next one or put it on my Christmas or birthday list, which ever one comes first, but today was something different. I had a book in mind that I wanted to get but God had other ideas. I didn’t find the book I was looking for I found the book that God had already picked out for me, Knit Together by Debbie Macomber.  I usually read the first chapter before I decide on anything, so I nestled into a chair and before I even had a chance to get comfortable I was hooked, by paragraph two.  Even though she was writing about her own life, it felt like in someway as if she were looking through a telescope into mine.  She wrote about her own struggles with a disability, dyslexia and her humble beginnings, she is the last person anyone would think, including her, to become a best selling author.  The children’s librarian at the library Debbie frequented as a child also had problems reading, you may have heard of her, her name is Beverly Cleary. 

I don’t know why I am still amazed at the way God shows up in our lives, He can turn a regular ordinary day in an extraordinary day, He can turn what one person sees as trash into a beautiful treasure.  There is a part in the book where an editor tells Debbie to throw away her manuscript, I think that book went on to be a best seller, what one person saw as trash became a treasure to millions.  A few weeks ago I came to the end of myself, and gave up the last little bit of control I was trying to hang onto, I extended my arms and held out my hands and gave it all up, “Father You take it, I am going to go do my thing and when You are ready come get me, You know where to find me”, He found me in the bookstore. My feet have been on a journey I never expected, a long journey that has been ripe with steep mountains, deep oceans and treacherous terrain, sometimes wondering how I was going to make it through, and even during my days when I largely ignored God, He never left my side, sometimes He held my hand making sure I didn’t fall and other times when my legs were too tired to take even one more step He picked me up and carried me over that mountain. 

I have been to the end of myself before, and it has been in those times I have seen God’s amazing grace and mercy, it is when I have seen Him at His best, where I have realized what I huge God I worship. Sometimes we have to get to the end of ourselves before we can see the new He wants to give us, as long as we are still holding onto a little piece of the control we prevent Him from working in our lives, we have to let go of how we think things should look and let God work it how He wants it to look.  As a good friend once told me, God may have some something really great planned, but He is waiting on you.

  We have heard it said before that He doesn’t call the most equipped, He equips those He calls, and sometimes the way He equips doesn’t look the way we would expect. He equipped Debbie Macomber through her humble beginnings and dyslexia.  It is the story He is writing through the least likely that He will use for His glory, however He chooses for that to look.  I may never be a best selling author, or publish anything beyond this blog, but He wouldn’t have given me this story to write if He hadn’t intended on sharing it, however that may look, more words of wisdom from the same friend. I leave it up to God to decide how He wants to share the story He has written through me for His glory.

In the book of Acts we learn about Saul of Tarsus, he was busy doing his own thing, killing Christians, and he was having fun doing it. In Acts 9:4, we learn that while on the road to Damascus Jesus appeared before Saul and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Saul eventually became the Apostle Paul and from what I hear quite a spokesman for Jesus.

God can use anyone that means me, that means you. Whatever your life has been or what it looks like, to the awesome God we have the privilege to serve, it is a treasure.

Lets take a listen today to the song, Our God, by Chris Tomlin.  Truly an inspiring up lifting song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYeUpmcL1HA