Today is day one of 365 Days of Testimony! I am so excited and yet so nervous all at the same time. As I asked God who to post today......He said, "Why not start with you". (so to speak.....hehehe) As I prayed about what to write, I asked Him to take over and write it for me for I don't want to fail Him. I have failed Him so many times in my lifetime, and I want to bring Him honor and glory through what HE has instructed me to do. In the grand scheme of things......I am but a vapor.....but HE goes on forever and ever. Over my lifetime, I have made so many mistakes, I have not only failed Him, but I have also failed my family and my friends. I am so thankful that I serve the one and only God, and He cares for me! He is full of forgiveness and grace, and yet He is also a God of Justice and correction......thank goodness! As most know, I got pregnant at the age of 17, the summer before my senior year. I knew God had a big ole plan for my life, yet I allowed sin to enter into my life without thinking fully of the repercussions. If I would have studied my Bible more and looked at it as a manual for life, I might have been spared some hard times. King David has always been the one that I read about and realize that I am not alone in messing up......I did however not pay much attention to the price he paid for his sin. Four days after finding out I was pregnant, Chris and I were married. We did not go our Senior year so that we could grow up and put our youthful ways behind us......so to speak. Becoming a parent is a huge responsibility and we could not take it lightly! We both prayed and repented for the sin that had brought us to this place.......and this is part of doing what we had to do to live out the consequences of our sin. We could not chose to end the life of our child to cover up our sin......as the saying goes.....Two wrongs don't make a right! I am not gonna lie......life was hard. It was not the fantasy life that you see on TV. But God...........He honored our decisions and though it was hard, He saw us through! We were given the gift of a beautiful son who would eventually grow up to honor God with his life and leading others to Christ! God took our sin and showed us grace......He took our sin and brought honor and glory to HIS name. By the age of 19, I had two beautiful children! Neither of them were planned by us, but God knew them before we could have ever even imagined them! At 19 I had a beautiful, strong willed little girl! Life was still hard, but God brought us through! I think I must have done a lot wrong, but God gave me His grace and His peace. At age 27, I had the only child we had planned......and funny thing is.....it took a while to get pregnant with her. Another beautiful baby girl who was full of life and smiles. Life was still hard, but God was still good. Over the years we experienced many heartaches and saw many consequences for mistakes we had made........But God! The hardest thing we ever had to live through was the time in Chelseas younger years when she almost died from anorexia. It was hard in so many ways. One thing that I learned through this process is that you never truly know what someone goes through until you are the one going through it. There is a reason that it is said to walk a mile in my shoes before you judge. We can think all we want what we would do, how we would feel, and how we would fix it.......but until it is you personally......you truly have no idea! But God............! Now life has brought us to a place where I can truly say, "Life is hard.........But by the grace of God, we will make it through!" Now that I am 46 I can look back and see how hindsight is 20/20.......and how little I knew that I thought I knew. My testimony has sooooo many different avenues that it could take, but this was the one that God wanted to send us on. The older I get, the more inadequate I feel......which in turn leads me closer to God. Now that I know that I don't know it all.....I have to rely on Him and not on myself! Actually.......it is quite freeing! Right now I want to thank God for the virtual duct tape He has provided me to place over my mouth.......I really did think about getting some real duct tape and doing it myself, but God has been working in my life to help me see things HIS way......Helping me do things HIS way......and helping me live my life according to HIS ways! I want to encourage each and every person who reads this to know that if you have any questions, you can feel free to write me! My life is pretty much an open book so that God can use me as HE will. I have said it before, "If I go through the trials in life from my failures......and don't share it with others......sharing the grace and forgiveness of God that became the healing balm to my wounds......what glory will then come out of the beautiful scars He has given me to share? What if God led someone to me that is scared, embarrassed, humiliated for something that they have done and I did not share my life and experience with them.......they might would feel all alone and hopeless without any hope of seeing the light.....and yet I hold Gods forgiveness and mercy clinched tightly in my hand not wanting to share it out of fear of rejection or of being humiliated......well then I am sinning if you ask me! My testimony is an incredible gift from God that can be used in ways that I could not possibly comprehend! Shame would keep us from sharing this gift.......and at the same time keep us bound to the shame. God wants not only others to be free, but He wants us to be totally free! I encourage each of you to pray about sharing your testimony! What if it is your testimony that could set someone free of the shame they feel in their lives? What if your testimony could set YOU free from the shame that you have held on too unnecessarily because God ALREADY forgave you the moment you asked? I serve a GREAT and MIGHTY GOD! He wants us to be free from shame......He wants us to thrive in HIM! WE are the ones that hold ourselves back most of the time! Please pray! Pray about sharing your testimony......pray for me as I do this out of obedience to the God I love! Please pray for the people who need to read these testimonies and that God will open their eyes to HIS incredible truth! I thank you so much for your love and support......and most of all your prayers! Again, Please, please message me if you have any questions about anything I can help you with! (Just go to the contact page) May God bless you!
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