Letting Go

It was March 2, 2012, the day of my grandfather's funeral. Poppy, who was ninety-six had passed away peacefully a few days earlier. We had just left the cemetery after the graveside service. I was in the car with my husband when we pulled into the driveway of my grandparents' house that they had lived in my entire life. I’d lived right next door to them during my 3rd through 5th grade years of school. In fact, my family lived with them in this house for a short time while we were waiting for our new house to be built.
 
Minutes before, I had learned that the house and most of the property had been sold. Our family had about thirty days to move everything out of it before the new family would be moving in.
 
Emotions came crashing in my heart as I saw Poppy's tractor sitting there just like it had been for my whole life. It was probably a newer tractor. But he had always had a tractor for as long as I could remember. 

I walked around that day trying to take in the reality of what was happening. As I looked out over my grandparents' property my aunt's words resonated in my heart.
 
"It's a chapter coming to an end."

She was having a hard time with all the sudden change. Seeing my brother and me walking around soaking in the memories that were created on that land was more than she could take. With teary eyes, she walked away and went inside the house.
 

As hard as it was to face the reality of a chapter of my life being over, I knew I needed to face it head on.
 
This reminds me of a memory I have of my father pulling a splinter out of my foot. I was terrified of the pain. I would’ve done anything to avoid it. But my daddy—in his wisdom—knew that the splinter needed to be dealt with or it would become infected. So I wailed as he made me sit still until he gently removed the culprit that was causing the pain. The pain was intense for a short time. But as soon as he removed it I felt better. 

Just like the splinter needed to be removed, our hurts and sorrows need to be removed by our Father in heaven.
 
How many times do we choose to run from pain? When in reality, it is facing our pain that makes it go away. Sure, the grief might be intense for a short time as we are facing it. But in the long run, after the pain has been dealt with we are free to live fully and freely without the pain of the past weighing us down.
 
Pain festers in our hearts and infects us with bad symptoms in the same way a splinter would fester in our foot and cause many bad symptoms.
 
Knowing that I needed to let go of a chapter of my life, I embraced the pain. Week after week I returned to my grandparents' house to help go through their things before the new family moved in. As I combed through each closet and drawer it was therapy for my soul. I would find treasures from my past and gleefully share my excitement, "Look what I found!"
 
The very last day I went to their house was the hardest. The week that I knew would be my very last visit I prayed for God's help. I knew it wouldn't be easy to let go of something that had been a happy part of my life since I was born.
 
As I pondered the memories of my grandparents' home, I heard the Lord’s still small voice within me.  "I will use the house and property to bless another family in the same way it has blessed yours."  As the Lord was speaking to my heart, I realized that in order to experience the new beginnings He had for my life I had to be willing to let go of the past.

Why is it as humans that we hold on so tightly to our pain and to our past?
 

The day that I went to pick up the last piece of furniture, the new family was moving in. I introduced myself and began to share my heart with them. Through a few tears and with my voice breaking, I said, “I want this house to bless your family the way it has blessed mine.”   

The gentleman replied to me, "It already is a blessing us." I want to stay here for the rest of my life." While I shared the difficulty I was having in letting go, he responded, “I've got to go inside now, your words are about to cause me to start sobbing."

I'm the kind of person who truly wears my emotions on my sleeves. The vulnerability I was showing about the difficulty of letting go was really touching his heart. It was a powerful God moment for all of us there that day. In my letting go, the new family was able to embrace the gift of this beautiful, sacred home-place. 

My husband and I stood on the edge of the property that overlooks one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen. As I embraced my sadness, my husband prayed the sweetest prayer for me. 

In those last moments standing on that beautiful piece of property that had been a sanctuary for me throughout my life, I realized that the sacredness I felt on Poppy's land could be felt every day of my life wherever I am. I rode away from Poppy’s home on this earth and thought about the legacy that he had left behind for me and for my family. As our car pulled away, I let the tears flow. It was an hour and a half drive home. I prayed, “Lord, heal my heart.” By the time I returned home I felt better.

That was last spring on Good Friday of 2012, three days before Easter. How beautiful of the Lord to allow me to celebrate His resurrection with a healed heart, free of pain.

The legacy of Poppy’s love for Christ lives on in my heart. I am free to carry on and live free from the sadness. When we look heavenward, life is sweet and beautiful. When we focus on what we've lost, our lives become defined by brokenness and pain.

That’s what letting go does. It releases the pain and opens the door in our hearts for new beginnings and new beauty.
 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:7 ESV

Live Abundantly!

Amy

An Unexpected Miracle

A favorite scripture of mine is, James 1: 2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." 

It truly is pure joy to face trials and hardships.  I have found that the greatest miracles happen during the most challenging seasons of life when we place our faith in Christ. Suffering is not fun. But joy can come from a season of hardship. It is especially hard to watch a loved one suffer. 

One of my close friends (Lori) has had serious health problems for many years and to make matters worse, her family has been struggling financially in recent years due to the economic crisis. Her husband has worked for a real estate investment firm for over fifteen years. But with the economic crisis, the real estate business is probably the worst to be working for presently.

Circumstances have been very hard for them. Yet, in the midst of her hardships, she is a shining example of the light found in living for Christ. Lori is a Jew by birth, but she found Jesus and I don't know anyone more in love with her Messiah than she is.

Lori's life proves that it's during the trials of life that we get to experience the most amazing miracles. During the past months, their family car has broken down repeatedly. It's a 1993 model and has been on its last leg for a while. Just a few weeks ago, she called to tell me her car had broken down again.

I felt so bad for her. I wanted to let her in on a secret I knew. But I couldn't because I would spoil the BIG surprise.

Just days before her car broke down again; I received an e-mail from a mutual friend letting me know that Lori's family had been chosen to receive a car as a gift from All State and Sterling Auto Body in Decatur. To see Lori's family receiving their new car, click here.

My friend Lori has a very petite stature, but she has the faith of a giant. And in the midst of their major problems she exudes the joy of the Lord.

My joy level is through the roof! When a friend is blessed it is way better than when I am blessed. I am elated. I can't stop thanking God for this unexpected miracle. I pray that He will continue showering my friend with blessings and that He will keep using her life to show that true joy comes through a relationship with Christ.

In every storm of life there is a treasure to be found. If we look toward heaven with a grateful heart, we will most certainly see a magnificent rainbow in the sky.

Live Abundantly!
Amy 

The above photograph was taken at my son's football game when another unexpected miracle happened in the form of a magnificent rainbow.

Living in Victory

As I was finishing my 6.5 mile run  several weeks ago, my heart was overflowing with gladness for all that the Lord has restored in my life. It was the first time I've run this distance in over five years because of some various injuries and other challenges. While I was running, memories of the marathon and half-marathon I did 13 years ago flooded my mind.

The Lord reminded me of some verses in Joel. I meditated on the fact that God is the One who restores.  I felt indescribable joy as I pondered the thoughts of all that the Lord has given back to me after it was stolen from my life.

I am right on schedule for running a half-marathon in 2013. This half-marathon is so much greater than a running event for me. It's a celebration of how the Lord has restored my life. He healed my broken marriage, fixed my broken finances, healed my sick body, and restored my ability to run.

Realizing and believing that God is the Restorer is what I believe ignites the supernatural power of Christ.

Many times I have been on the verge of seeing restoration in an area in my life and just before the breakthrough occurs, something happens out of the blue to thwart the good plans God has for me. Well, I have figured out that these “out of the blue” happenings are not coincidental. 

The Bible reveals a powerful truth in John 10:10. Jesus said, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

The thief has worked overtime to rob from me. But with each effort to sabotage God’s good plans, it backfires and Jesus wins every time. 

Hallelujah!

On Thanksgiving Day, my daughter and I ran eight miles as part of our training regimen for the half-marathon we’re running together in January. It was a victorious day for both of us. My twenty-two year old daughter had never run this distance. And I hadn’t run this distance in probably 10 years. We were elated.

On Monday of this week, just as I was about to begin another training run, I jammed my toe into a piece of furniture accidentally because I had moved it temporarily to get something out from behind it and had forgotten to move it back. My little toe crashed right into the chair leg as I was rushing through my house. I landed onto the floor in pain.

I knew what I had done was bad. The level of pain and the immediate swelling proved to me that it was not just a stubbed toe. My mind immediately went to the place of resigning and accepting a long time of healing.

“Well, there goes my half-marathon race,” I thought to myself.  It was exactly nine weeks until my race.  And with the possibility of a broken toe, I knew I wouldn’t be able to train for weeks.

My next thought was one of faith.

I’ll have to trust God.

As the day went on, my toe hurt worse. I iced it, but by eleven p.m. the bruising had spread in between my toes and onto my actual foot. It was purple, red, and swollen and I could feel a small bump on the side of my toe.  It was so bad that my daughter couldn’t look at it.

I looked up images of broken toes on the Internet and saw that the pictures looked very similar to my toe. Everything I read indicated I had a broken toe. The bad news was that it takes six to eight weeks for a broken toe to heal.

I taped my little toe to the toe next to it and thought, "I am not going to have this accident ruin God's good plans for me. I AM going to run this race." And I prayed for a miracle.

I went to bed with peace and asked the Lord to heal my toe.

When I awoke yesterday morning, my toe was still hurting enough for me to limp, but as the day went on I noticed it was getting better. I never took anything for the pain. I have a very high tolerance for pain. I delivered my son with no epidural or any other pain medication other than local anesthesia for the stitches to be put in place. I honestly didn’t think much about my toe yesterday.

Today (two days after the accident) I have absolutely no pain in my toe. It doesn’t hurt to touch it. It doesn’t hurt to wiggle it. I cut the tape off and was astounded to see that the swelling was completely gone and the bruising is significantly better. By tomorrow, I’m sure the discoloration will be gone altogether.

The Lord healed my toe, just like He has healed me from other things in the past.

If I had resigned to the pain I would not be doing my race in January.  As followers of Christ, we can live in victory.

I've seen many fake miracles on T.V. over the years. The Bible clearly tells us that there are counterfeit miracles. 

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NAS)

But the Bible also tells us that in Jesus Christ there are many real miracles.

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. Act 6:8 (NAS)

God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Hebrews 2:4 (NAS)

They did not remember His power, the day when He redeemed them from the adversary…Psalm 78:42 (NAS)

So Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." John 4:48 (NAS)

 

They performed His wondrous acts among them, And miracles in the land of Ham. Psalm 105:27 (NAS)

God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul… Acts 19:11 (NAS)

…In the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. Romans 15:19 (NAS)

A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. John 6:2 (NAS)

 
And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs. Mark 16:20 (NLT)

Most importantly Jesus said, we would do even greater things than He did.

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12 (NIV)

I've never been one to attend healing conferences and miracle services. I've been the one who has stayed at home seeking to know God better through studying my Bible and praying as often as possible. But the closer I get to Christ, the more I see miracles in my life.

When we step up and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ then the non-believers will see the power of Christ working through and in us.

We are called to be the salt and light of the world. Let us go forth as disciples of Christ and walk in faith performing miracles in His name. Let us live in victory so that the doubters will watch and see that Jesus is the Messiah of the world.

Live Abundantly!

Amy

Beauty for Ashes

It was a clear, winter day and I was sitting on the family room floor making valentines. I was 8 years old and didn’t have a care in the world. I was enjoying the moment I was in and safe in the comfort of my home with my mom close by in the kitchen.

That’s the last thing I remember before I heard my mother’s panicked voice hollering out, “It’s a fire!” 

I looked up and there I saw the kitchen curtains engulfed in flames. My mom tried putting the fire out, but her main concern was my safety.

We ran outside to get away from the smoke. A gentleman who had seen the smoke from the post office next door ran over to our house, grabbed a hose, busted a window and put the fire out.

Later on that day, we went back inside to assess the damage. In a matter of minutes, the flames had completely destroyed our kitchen, and the smoke had damaged most of our house. 

We never stayed in that house another day. We packed up our salvageable items and moved in with my grandparents for a few months. My parents made the decision to build a new house a few miles away. It was months before our beautiful, new home was completed.           

My life had been turned upside down by the rampant flames that raged through my house on that winter day. It was difficult to have my life so shaken up, but knowing a beautiful home was being built for my family helped to ease the difficulties. I remember visiting the new home often to see the progress that was being made.

I’ll always remember the day I first saw my completed bedroom with the brand new carpet I picked out myself. It was breathtaking—nothing like my young heart had ever experienced. It was almost more than I could take in at once. It was amazing. After losing my old home and many of the things I had been attached to, the new home was sweetness to my soul.

The new life Christ has given me is much like the new home I moved into after the fire during my childhood. Before I fully surrendered my life to Christ's purposes for me, fiery trials swept through my life and destroyed many things that were important to me. After surrendering everything to Jesus, He rebuilt my life and turned the ashes of my past into a beautiful display of splendor.

I remember times when I wondered if I would ever have beauty in my life again. The stress of a struggling marriage relationship, the tension from strained finances, and not being physically well—it seemed impossible. 

As I wrestled to believe, my faith won and things began turning around for me. Step by step, Christ renewed my marriage, restored our finances, and taught me ways to improve my health. 

When we believe things are hopeless, then we will have a hopeless life. When we teeter on the fence of disbelief, we miss out on the miracles the Bible promises we will see. 

In 2009, I made a commitment to stop doubting God forever. Whenever a doubtful thought taunts me, I meditate on the scriptures to bring life to a worn out and weary spirit. Doubt cannot penetrate a heart that is fixated on the truth of God’s Word.

Christ has good plans to give every person a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). He is the redeemer and restorer of broken lives.

Are you struggling to believe God for good things? Leave fear and doubt behind and begin believing that Christ is the author of beauty. Surrender it all to Him and watch as He rebuilds and recreates the beautiful life He longs to give all His children. 

Trust Him to give you beauty to replace the pain of your past. He will bestow on you a crown of beauty instead of ashes and He will give you the oil of gladness instead of mourning. He will plant you firmly in His promises to be displayed as a glorious vessel of His magnificent splendor.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61: 1-3

Live Abundantly!

Amy 

This post has been revised from a piece originally written several years ago. The above picture is one of me at the Biltmore House gardens. 

A Prayer for Our Nation

I walked into the voting area and the tension was so thick that it felt tangible. It was last week that I voted to avoid the crowds. The faces I saw were covered with distress and anxiety. Patience is running out for many people as they face the reality of what is happening in America.

Jesus is our only hope. I have complete faith in Christ to restore our nation to a strong, vibrant country. He restored my life beyond my highest expectations. I expect Him to do the same for the United States.

But before the Lord restored my life, He tested my faith. I believe we are headed for a season of testing. But in the end, we will come forth as pure gold.

A Prayer

Father,

We come to You and humbly ask that You keep Your hand on this nation. We are sorry for leaving You out of our decision making so many times. We realize that our country is in danger and we need You desperately to intervene. May we turn away from all that draws us away from Your love and return to You wholeheartedly. Let us rend our hearts and know that You are merciful, compassionate and abounding in love. It is Your desire to see this nation thrive and be restored. Let us rise up and be the nation that You always dreamed we would be. Raise us up into a mighty nation to be a light to a dark world. We ask You to let the man that is best suited to be our President be in office during the upcoming years. We trust You, Lord, to do great and mighty things in this nation. Let us live for You purposefully and passionately. We ask You to protect us from calamity. We love You and place our hope in You. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

  

Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. ~ Joel 2:13

 But He knows the way that I take when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

 ~ Job 23:10 

Live Abundantly!

Amy 

A Letter of Encouragement

The Lord woke me up early and began nudging me to share some words with a friend. I know He wants for me to share this with my blog readers as well.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I want to share a powerful testimony.

Shortly after my husband, Michael, received an incredible opportunity and new job last fall, we found out that the company was getting bought out and the office in Atlanta was going to be closing. This is the very scenario we had been in before when a company had laid him off after a merge with a larger corporation. The first time this happened we ended up in poverty. We literally made less than the poverty level income for a number of years. Needless to say, it would have been easy for us to get fearful after hearing about the buy out of the company Michael works for.

But we refused to entertain fearful thoughts.

Instead we began to pray for specific things and we TRULY believed Jesus would do it for us. We asked God to make a way for Michael to work in Atlanta. We asked him for a raise. We asked him for better benefits, etc. The most important part of our prayers is the fact that God put the desires in our heart and we believed Jesus would do the things we were asking for.

Before I share the outcome of our prayers, I want you to know that I've been praying whether to share this with you.

And I believe with all my heart Jesus wants for me to share every bit of it. It may not be the way that some of you like being encouraged, but Jesus loves you enough to make you uncomfortable if that's what it takes for you to break completely free of fear and into your God-given right.

So here is the testimony: God answered our prayers beyond anything I could have ever imagined or have dreamed.

There are many details that I don't have time to write. But I'll share it in a nutshell. Michael was offered a job to work in Atlanta even though the office is closing. They are keeping 2 employees in Atlanta.The package they offered is like comparing diamonds with scrap metal. It's really all just very over the top. He'll get a company car ( a brand new car). He can pick the car out as long as it's not a sports car. They told him it had to be suitable for clients and not cost over a specific amount. They will pay for all his gas, car insurance and for the upkeep of the car. Also, we can use it for personal use as much as we want (other than out of state). His office will be at home now which will save us hundreds of dollars per month in gas expenses. He will get an extra week of vacation and two more bonuses during the next year. They will give any employee a very large amount of money to go toward adoption costs, which is AMAZING because we are going to adopt an orphan from Africa as soon as God gives us the go ahead. The insurance is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Plus, to top it off, he got a raise. We will be out of debt by 2012.

God did IT! He did far beyond anything I could have asked or hoped for (Ephesians 3:20). He gave me that scripture as one of the defining verses of my life about 15 years ago. I have lived it. I have believed it. The verse truly defines my life. God outdoes Himself over and over again and it just keeps getting better.

Jesus never ceases to amaze me in His ability to do beyond my wildest dreams.
I am sharing all of this out of obedience to Christ because He wants you to know that He does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34). He will do far beyond anything you could ever imagine. All He wants is a person fully surrendered, who loves Him with all their heart, and who believes He WILL pour out His blessings.

I am going to live big and bold forever. I will not hide what Jesus has done for me. Because I know He will do immeasurably more than you can imagine for your life and I know Jesus wants me to boldly share the details of what He's done for us. The key is: He did it, not us. Trusting in ourselves more than God is what caused the poverty in our past.

I have more compassion than any person could ever comprehend for anyone going through job losses, poverty and lack. I weep and intercede for my friends who are hurting and struggling. I will spend the rest of my life helping people to break free of poverty. And I will not walk in doubt ever again.

Also, Jesus wants for you to know that living in abundance is not a temporary season. This is the FOREVER life He wants for us and for every Christian until He returns.

I love you, brothers and sisters, and I pray that Jesus will use my words to speak faith into your soul. We're here on Earth to lift up and encourage each other until Jesus comes back.
The blessings are already yours...All you have to do is go after them as God leads you.

May Jesus use the words written in this letter to speak love and life to you.

With love and compassion,
Amy