PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• The last several days have been very reflective ones. It started on Wednesday when my BFF since 8th grade came to my house while visiting from Indiana. I realized how blessed I am to have a 30-some year friendship with someone who is like a sister to me, and after a lifetime of memories with her, see how God has worked in both our lives.
Then, yesterday, Wayne’s dad’s memorial service was held at the church we got married at eight years ago. During the service, I couldn’t help but reflect on the changes in our lives in the last eight years. Besides the relocation back to my hometown close to five years ago, the most significant difference in our lives is spiritual. Week after week, Wayne and I used to sit in that church and our presence there boiled down to just that—a presence. We were warm bodies in a pew. Our church life is very, very different now and that credit is singularly due to Jesus Christ. He has been working on us for several years.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (ESV). That verse is magnificent! Read it again! We aren’t who we were once were! We are new and Jesus continues to mold and shape willing hearts to be more like His!
I am taking the liberty of speaking for Amy, Wayne, and myself—Jesus has been hard at work on all of us. We will be works in progress for the rest of our lives, but no matter how many times we’ve failed Him or disappointed Him, He has never given up on us. We are testimonies of grace. And I’m grateful that my faith-life includes so many amazing and loving people, including a lifelong friend and my husband.
Brandon Heath‘s song, “I’m Not Who I Was” is one of my favorites and the opening line says, “I wish you could see me now / I wish I could show you how / I’m not who I was.” Let those words digest. Are they true for you too? If they are…
Today, as you pray, give praise to Jesus for being the ultimate carpenter—the One who can rebuild our hearts and make them new. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be a reflection of God’s grace and use you to show others “I’m not who I was.”
