Nothing Compares

As I sit writing this morning, the sun is breaking through the clouds from the east in an explosion of warmth and light that makes me think of heaven.  These moments in life where we see just a tiny glimpse of what the eternal holds, they are so special.

Tears of joy, that's what's flooding my face right now.  Reflecting on the past few months and the sweet release God has brought me. 

Recently, several of our choir members prepared cardboard testimonies to use during our Christmas musical.  The stories just our group can share of God's amazing plan for each of us is yet another small glimpse of the greatness of our Lord.  My "testimony" is the final one.  It was meant to be a general summary of how nothing compares to life with Jesus.  Ironically, it accurately describes my journey as a Christian.

I was brought up in church and saved as a child.  I have no doubt the experience was real and I know with certainty I gave my heart to Jesus that night.  I've not wrestled with my salvation, but I sure have wrestled with giving complete control of my life to Christ.

In fact, I have wrestled, and wrestled.  Mrs. I Can Do It Myself has taken 39 years to figure out she's not going to win this battle alone.  I knew it wasn't alone, but my idea was to blaze a trail of where I wanted to be in life and ask Jesus to help me get there.

I had finally gotten to a place where I was miserable.  Not because of the circumstances of my life-I had everything I could ever want.  I was miserable because I was running from where I was supposed to be.  Finally, I surrendered to the call he placed on my life to let go and give Jesus complete control of my life.  Its not been easy.  I don't know what the next turn will bring, and I'm living my life one day at a time and looking each day for the direction and provision.

It has given me perfect peace.  All of a sudden all the days of going through the motions, seeking happiness and fulfillment and never finding them are over.  When I stopped running my way and ignoring the call he has been placing on my heart; when I turned around and ran into his arms and sank at his feet...nothing compares.

Jesus' gift of salvation is the greatest gift any of us could ever receive.  But Christians who live each day without having that "Daddy" relationship where you know he's holding your hand every step of the way are missing out.

I invite you to join Riverview Baptist for our Christmas Musical, Sunday, December 16 at 6 p.m. and see the greatness of God shared by our members. 

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

My Great Web page

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 8, 2012 at 10:13 AM

    Thank-you for sharing your journey with us!

    Candice
    www.lillythroughthevalley.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Settling for Less

Image
Hope.  It is a huge little four letter word. Without it we live a life of darkness.  It is the ray of light that is able to pierce through places we cannot see. I am so glad to have the hope of Christ Jesus and his promise of eternal life.  It is so reassuring knowing the suffering and pain we have here on earth will be over, and one day we we will spend eternity in his presence. Even though I know I have this incredible promise, I am so guilty of selling short his ability to work in my day to day life. Friday was a road trip day.  I had the radio off, driving and following the directions of my little google app voice.  It wasn't the Google app automated voice that I heard most clearly.  It was the one who reminded me of the verses above, and how I so often settle for less than he wants for me.  Why?  Because I don't bother to ask. This girl has set some pretty lofty goals for 2016, and I am expecting it to be a year of change.   However, there are other areas of my lif
Read more

On a Very Personal Note-Perfect Peace

Image
My blog has been silent for a couple of weeks.  I've spent a lot of time listening, intensely, to the call God placed on my heart more than two years ago.  Until now I have been able to shove it neatly back into that corner, waiting on this huge opportunity for everything to fall perfectly into place as I wanted it to happen. God has called our family to make changes this year.  We started off looking at a relocation, to make things logistically easier.  Instead change has been about awakening our very complacent spiritual souls and reviving the heart of our family.  We have been so guilty of "going through the motions" of life, living by a checklist of what needs to be done, then falling into bed exhausted at the end of the day with nothing left to give. I have been so incredibly blessed with a job that has fed my passionate desire to help people.  Its been an honor to know that every day I worked, I made a difference in the lives of people across our world, a
Read more
Isaiah 43:19 (The Message) Forget about what's happened;    don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.    It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,    rivers in the badlands. An opportunity, one that appeared so right it felt like it had been placed in my path.  Yet God closed the door in a way that left me feeling like I forgot to move my hand and left my fingers throbbing in the threshold.  In a matter of hours, someone close to me received a similar opportunity with all the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.  While extremely proud for her great news, something inside hurt deeper.  Discouraged, I opened my devotional guide, and the verses above spoke so vividly to my heart. The last couple of years have seemed the hardest for me physically, spiritually, emotionally.  I'm not saying they haven't been good years, in fact they have been great. 
Read more