a story worth sharing

I am a Bible writer. Not as in I helped write the Bible, but rather I write all over in my Bible. I underline, jot notes in the margin and date verses that speak to my heart in times of trouble or discouragement. As I was spending time with God this morning, I came across something I wrote regarding some verses in Colossians during a very dark time following my brother's death. My brother's death came just six weeks after my time in the hospital that I shared in the previous post. I was on strict bed rest and had to lay completely flat for the duration of my pregnancy. I spent my days completely alone as friends cared for my other children and my husband worked. Through this solitary time of nothingness, God ministered to my heart. I despised my bed rest. I went from being a very active and involved mother of three to a pregnant, inactive mother of one (I felt anyway). Then, only six weeks into my 'sentence', my brother tragically passed. There were many that pitied me and wondered why God would allow those two events to overlap. I too wondered, but as time went by, I knew exactly why God allowed these two things to happen together and I became extremely grateful for it. I had a lot of time to be literally 'be still and know that He was God' (Psalm 46:10) and during this time I started to write. I would send out update e-mails weekly and they were more of me sharing what God taught my anxious heart through my quiet days. The anger following my brother's death would have swallowed me whole had I not had the time to process it in the light of God's Word. As a busy mom, it is easy to forfeit that time with God for the sake of laundry, family or an extra 15 minutes of sleep. As I began to spend time faithfully in God's Word, He faithfully met me there and not only used it to encourage me, but to encourage others in their journeys as well.

"Continue steadfastly in prayer,

being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

At the same time, pray also for us,

that God may open a door for the Word,

to declare the mystery of Christ,

on account of which I am in prison--

that I [Paul] would make it clear,

which is how I ought to speak."

Colossians 4:2-4

Paul was in prison. This was not a prison with cable TV, three daily meals and outdoor exercise time. Undoubtedly, this was prison in a damp, dark concrete hole filled with mice, odor and other prisoners. Paul was there undeservedly. Many of his letters were written during his times of imprisonment. As I read this, my heart felt imprisoned to my situation. I felt trapped and limited in my ability and the loneliness about drove me out of my mind. I read this and realized that Paul knew those things well. So many times, it is easy to get hung up on the fact that we don't deserve the pain we are going through and therefore should not have to endure it. We become bitter and angry with God and as a result, we have little to no positive impact on others and we become more and more consumed in our pain. Paul did not deserve the meager rations of rotten food, the beatings, and the mistreatment that accompanied the undeserved imprisonment. But his response was vastly different than many of our responses as we face the fire. He was not asking for prayer in regards to his release or for his plight to be seen and heard, but rather for a greater opportunity to share the Truth of Christ in the midst of his imprisonment.

Where are you today? What is your story? What is God teaching you through the journey you are on? I undoubtedly believe that there is someone longing for encouragement if you would only be willing to step outside of yourself, examine how God is loving you in the midst of this fire and share that truth with someone else. It is often through the fire that we experience the most intimate fellowship with God and others. It is time for Christians to start sharing their stories and sharing the Truth of God's Word through them.

With this said, there is a story of a blessed family that I would like to share with you. I asked for permission to post these links and they graciously said I could. I grew up with Holly and have known her since I was a small child. God has really been challenging them as you will see, but I pray that you will also see how God's grace and presence is woven through the fibers of their pain and trials. 

I pray that their story, my story and mostly the Word of God, would not only meet you in your fire but would spur you on to share the love of Christ with someone else in need. 

www.caringbridge.org/visit/mikaiandelliemisener

May God's face shine upon you today and may your graciousness be evident to all...

<><tce