TORN

Many people have a favorite Bible scripture or one they grew up hearing or memorizing.  Some may refer to that scripture when things get tough. Well I came upon a particular chapter in the Bible during a very difficult season in my life and it was as if God was speaking directly to me in my situation. I had the feeling we were having a conversation and He was answering all my questions with His reassurance.  This chapter was specifically tailored to what I was going through. It was so personal and intimate that I keep it between He and I. This was many years ago as a very naive, insecure, impressionable young woman. It is hard to adequately explain the strength it gave me to know that God heard my cry, saw my situation, felt my pain and had my back. Things were still tough but there was hope. I was able to wait and watch while He worked it out for my good. To this day I always refer back to that chapter to remind myself (and God) of His promises that day. I still gain strength and reassurance that I am not alone and He is on my side.  It hasn’t stopped me from facing trials but He has lived up to everything He promised. I refer to it so often that one day I accidentally tore the page in my Bible! When this happened I was horrified! It may have been a little dramatic but I had torn “my” chapter!  I stuck the torn page back into my Bible and didn’t refer to it for awhile because every time I looked at it I was reminded that my favorite page was no longer intact. Finally one day a thought came into my head, “tape it”!  Now that should have been the most obvious answer but I was so busy being bummed about messing it up I couldn’t act on the obvious. You know I’m going somewhere with this, right? So I grabbed some clear tape and carefully lined up the page and taped it.  The edges were a little frayed so I also folded the clear tape along the edge of the page.  Now whenever I open my Bible that page is the strongest because the torn places have been reinforced.  It is also easy for me to find my way “back” to that page because it had been torn and mended.

Life is a journey. Sometimes a long journey of getting it wrong on the way to getting it right. Sometimes you are wrong even when you are right. Go figure. Sometimes life will knock you down through no fault of your own. And sometimes it’s all your fault.  Whatever the case may be I want to encourage you to find the words that God is speaking to you, (if you haven’t already) and hold on to them for dear life. If you feel battered and torn allow God to reinforce and strengthen you. Try not to fret so much  what you have been through and believe me I know that can be a hard challenge and I am not minimizing your struggle. Fight to focus on how God is turning around what may have been meant to destroy you, to make you stronger and wiser. Use your experiences with God to steer yourself “back” to Him when tempted to move away because of adversity.

I may not see you but know that I have prayed that whoever reads this is blessed with sensitivity, compassion, empathy and insight. I pray that God meets your needs and speaks to you intimately. By allowing God to heal our broken places we become more tender, responsive and understanding. And who couldn’t use more of that?  I may not know you but we have each other. Pray for me as I pray for you. God Bless

Love,

Ms Wanda, GAC