“But we all…beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” 2 Corinthians
3:18
As I start my 38th
year of life, this was a devotional verse for the day from one of my favorite
devotional books, “Wisdom for the Way” by Charles R. Swindoll. This is what life
is all about, being gradually transformed into a more Christlike image, a wiser
being, a noble person of character. I am
so, so far from that goal, but I am thankful to still be walking that journey
with God instead of without Him. There
are many things that could have pulled me away, turned my faith from my Maker,
if I had allowed them. From the 2 divorces in my life, one of my parents when I
was 12 years old and my own divorce during my 32nd year of life to
my challenging college years and my struggle to come to a place of perfect
peace with my earthly father, I could have said, to be blunt, “screw it all.”
What has God done for me but allowed me to suffer at the hands of my own
parents and my ex-husband? But what would this accomplish, this blaming of
others for my heartache, this putting myself above God and his wisdom? He
allowed all of these things in my life to happen for a reason, and he certainly
was not the author of these events. As humans, we are the authors of our own
tragedies. We have been given free will
to make decisions for ourselves, wise or unwise. What God does is makes those experiences work
for us and for Him to transform us into His image as we progress through what
is often a difficult life. We all have
our struggles, although I know mine could have been even worse, the bottom line
is that we all feel what we are experiencing is more difficult than the next
person. That’s human nature, but what’s
most important is our final perspective on it.
Will we take the tough times as learning experiences, even take it to
the next step and find peace through it OR will we allow it to turn us away
from God, to take away the only method of assisting us to get through it
successfully and come out better on the other side. I choose God’s way. I choose His love over anything the world has
to offer. I choose to work on becoming wiser in Him, more loving towards
others, laughing more and shedding less tears, and seeking peace over allowing
bitterness and discontent to permeate my life.
On this first day of my 38th year, I feel very, very blessed.
Thank you to all of those in my life, those who were part of the good and bad
experiences. You were all a piece of God’s plan for my life, and without you, I
would not be able to become the person God intended for me to be. Most of all, thank you God for being my
Creator, Savior, Friend, and Guide in life. Thank you for teaching me how to
find your peace in a chaotic world, how to keep going no matter what, and thank
you for teaching me about faith. Thank
you for the start of another year with You and the family, friends, job, and
home you have blessed me with. I can do
or be nothing without you.
1 comment:
May our God greatly bless you, Susannah. -- Mom
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