To the ones who feel trapped.

First off, I’d like to say I appreciate every kind word expressed. Every encouraging “I understand, I can relate!” every “me too” as my good friend would say. I am not keen on sharing personal information about myself. Especially being raw, honest, and open on a public site. I am an extremely private human being. Although some mistake me for being an extrovert, funny enough. I truly believe God has me writing my story for a greater purpose than me. And if what it takes is sharing my story and getting out of my comfort zone to let you know YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this mess called life, then I am willing.

Tonight I sit with a heavy heart. Wanting to reach out my hands to those who have been told that because of their mistakes they are worthless to God. To those who have been burned by other christians.  To those who have been shamed into crawling into a whole in the ground. To those who have been scarred for life by those they trusted. To those who thought they had to be perfect, sinless, to fit in but could never attain such. To those who were made to feel bad for what they’d been through, past or present. To those who were scoffed at by the hypocritical. To those who were bound by a legalistic code that Jesus did away with on the cross. God’s not finished with you yet, so don’t allow anyone to tell you what you’re worth, but the One that created you. 

Have you allowed people to shape you into who you are, or have you allowed God?

Allowing people to do what only God should do can create bitterness, anger, and sometimes a path to just walking away from Him. An overwhelming feeling of defeat.

I can attest to this. I was young, naive, shapeable. I was caught in a self-righteous crowd. But when I turned from that, feeling overwhelmed with all the rules I had to keep and the image that was required, I jumped off the deep end and walked away from God. That was my knowledge of God, and I didn’t want it. I knew I’d never fit in with the God-crowd again. At the time I didn’t want to anyway. But through His miracles He wooed my heart again and brought me back to Him. Letting me know that His mercies are new everyday and that my mistakes and bad decisions hadn’t defined me or His plan for my life. That as my Father, He loved me and had grace upon grace to offer, something that was new and refreshing to my ears. He ran to me though I had taken and spent all that He had given and He put His arms around my neck and said welcome home, I still love you as my child.

I want to encourage those who have made mistakes and bad decisions in their life and think God could never use them or love them again. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are His child. He is your Father. I don’t know what kind of earthly father you have had but our Father, God, He loves you and cares for you with an everlasting love. And He will never stop working on you until the day you die. Allow Him to pick up your broken pieces and bring beauty out of the ashes of your life. Dust yourself off, pick yourself up, and begin trusting Him with your all. The devil wants you to stay down, he wants you to feel useless and unloved, discouraged and defeated and he will use others to help do that. But God has overcome all of that, and He desires to use you in the lives of others. He needs you to share what He’s done for you and share the good news of His Gospel so others can know that God’s love is true love. 

Romans 8:31-39 says, 

 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 

32He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 

33Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 

34who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 

35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36Just as it is written, for your sake we are being put to death all the day long;
         We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

37But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 

38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 

39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He died for us, so we could live for Him. He knew we could never be perfect or sinless, so He sent the One who could, to die in our place. He took the sins of the world on Him that day- past, present and future. Now He offers you grace in place of your mistakes and past decisions so that you can live for Him, unashamed. 

I hope today you find an ounce of encouragement knowing YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this journey of life and living for Him.