My Jesus Story and How He Changed my Life

Hello, dear reader!

Happy Spring.  =)  This season makes me giddy. I think I squeal most in spring. (I'm not even a squealing type of girl. But first flowers, first butterflies, first bees?!? I even ate redbud blossoms!) IT'S ALL SO BEAUTIFUL!!

But instead of spring, today I'm sharing my Jesus story.

It used to be hard to pinpoint my story. I grew up as a Christian. I always knew about Jesus. I don't have a uniquely mystical before and after testimony, so maybe I didn't have an important Jesus story.

This spring, I've been praying for Him to open my eyes to the story He wrote so I could pen the work He's done so gracefully for me.

He did! So here's my Jesus story. (and some lingering wintery photos)

And I challenge you: do you have a Jesus story?

If I told you my story
you would hear Hope, that wouldn't let go
and if I told you my story
you would hear Love that never gave up
and if I told you my story
you would hear Life, but it wasn't mine

Once upon a time…

Jesus chose to let me know Him since I could remember. When I was four, I promised myself to Him, and later I confirmed it by being baptized. Little Hosanna loved Him in a child way, savored His creation and good gifts to me.

Yet I grew older, doubted that those first promises were true. I was scared that I wasn’t really saved, and I tried to remember my sin and apologize for every one. And one night, I broke down and gave myself again to Jesus because I was scared I was pretending and would be punished. I didn’t want our relationship to be based on fear, but my frightened heart gave in, and I begged Him to save me.

And Mama prayed with me, encouraged me that it was okay - Jesus would draw me to a place of relationship, love.

He did! That sweet relationship began to deepen. It started as me trying to do what I thought I should. We grew together, and I got to know a little of His heart. Everything that happened was Him! He was with me in hard times. He loved me. He taught me through the Bible, through worship, through His people, through His sweet presence. He lived every-day life with me. I met the God of the universe, and He called me His own! 

And one day, I stopped and looked back.

Things had changed. I didn’t belong to Jesus because of fear anymore. I belonged to Him because I loved Him; I desired Him for who He was.

If I should speak, then let it be of the grace

that is greater than all my sin

of when justice was served, and where mercy wins!

of the kindness of Jesus, that draws me in

oh to tell you my story, is to tell of Him.

Since then, He’s grown me!

We’ve written books together, and He’s guided me through every step. He’s answered prayers in ways I can’t explain any other way. He’s held my hand through fears. He’s brought me to places I could never go on my own. He shows me my weaknesses (which are still many) and helps me become more like Him. Not because I deserve it, but because it’s a relationship He chooses to have with me!

Without Him, I’m broken. I’m selfish, judgmental. Without Him, this girl would have no purpose to live today or the ones following. I would be grumpy, irritable, angry. I’d struggle with anxiety, no way to escape. Truthfully, I’d be so, so empty inside and just try to fill it with faulty solutions. I'm not a good person.

But with Jesus, I have hope of glory forever, and it starts now! I have purpose for today. I have a reason to be glad, a reason to love, a reason to sing!

With Jesus, I’m whole. I’m joyful. I can sing and praise and love life! He showers grace on us, and I'm thankful and overwhelmed at Him!

Life is beautiful just because of Jesus.  

He chooses to love me—and He finds pleasure in me! He blesses me and cherishes me, and because of what He has done, I’m righteous before God!

Righteous. Holy. Pure.

It’s all Him. All His amazing grace and goodness and love.

If I told you my story, you would hear victory

over the enemy

and if I told you my story, you would hear freedom

that was won for me

and if I told you my story, you would hear Life

overcome the grave

 

And that’s His story in me. I’m undeserving, and He chose to give Himself for me. From now until forever, I’m praying to grow toward Him like a flower turns toward the sun, and I just long to be in His presence and know Him completely as He fully knows and loves me.

I'm still imperfect on my own. I forget this testimony a lot. But Jesus has and is changing me, and He will finish what He started! I have so far to go, so many weaknesses still, but I trust Him.

I don't have much of a before and after testimony. But I do know without Jesus, I wouldn't be here. Without Him, I'd be so lost. And that's the perfect story for me, because it's ours! ♥

Jesus changed my life, and I love Him.

And He can change yours too, dear reader. Do you have a Jesus story? Or if you do, have you forgotten it, like I so easily do?

Eternity has already started, and He is faithful from today to forever.

And He's longing for you.

This is my story, this is my song

praising my Savior all the day long.

 

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

- Ephesians 2:4-6

lyrics by Big Daddy Weave (My Story)

~♥~

Julie's Flowers Book Release

...(love) isn't self-seeking...

- 1 Corinthians 13:5

I sit here, sun shining through a fingerprint-smudged window, and that verse repeats in my head. Love isn't self-seeking. It doesn't seek its own.

Honestly, I haven't read a book from start to finish in a while. So when author Jordy Leigh invited me to read a brand new novel she helped edit and publish for a set of authors, I quickly said yes! And looking back, that verse was a ringing theme in the pages.

But first, the cover!  (isn't it pretty?!)

A billionaire and his family. A neglected and abused daughter.

Even rich families have their issues—perhaps especially rich families. When billionaire Eric Ryan learns that his daughter will be born with partial forearms, he can’t bear the thought of having an imperfect child. He devises a scheme to have the baby aborted without his wife knowing, which drives Julie Ryan to despair.

But no; injustice is not unique to the wealthy. Hundreds of miles away, Mara Brenner grows up in the care of her mother and stepfather—if it can be called “care.” Her mother alternates between abuse and negligence, and her stepfather is plain cruel.

What hope is there for the pain-ridden Ryan family? And what grace could ever allow Mara to heal from a lifetime of hurt? There is a common thread that spans time, space, and dastardly deeds to restore.

Website

Amazon

Goodreads

The novel centers, especially in the beginning, on the life of Julie Ryan.

She struggles. She's weak. She hurts.

But Julie stands out in the story as a woman focused on simple truths. She humbly loves and serves the people in her life - despite their responses - and God uses her to draw the entire family towards the Lord and His eternal, far greater love and purpose.

And that's why the verse repeats in my mind:

Love isn't self-seeking.

In 2 Peter, God promises that through His divine power we have everything we need for a godly life. So I look at my own life, my heart, and ponder.

When Jesus asked His disciples to follow Him, it didn't mean they had to memorize more Scripture or go to a church building or give their money to the poor. It was an invitation into His very near presence. Those actions might have followed in some shape or form, but the heart was to be in His presence, love Him, learn from Him, be near Him.

Not a list of do's or don't's but transformed lives!

Not doing more to erase our faults but embracing His rightness and letting that change us!

And He did it all from love. He was (and is!) glad to choose, deliver us! How could we keep from praising?!

The disciples gave up their lives for a greater purpose and future. They saw Jesus' immense humility and lack of self-seeking, and they obeyed His call to give up all and follow! Because He was worthy and still is today. ♥

That's what Julie's Flowers reminds me of. It shows how God can use someone's life of humility to make a difference for the Kingdom. How there's something more important than what we quickly deem as success in this life. The book is a reminder that we can forgive. We can be healed. All because of Jesus.

I'm excited as this new novel enters the world! I hope it reminds its readers that God writes the best stories, and to surrender to Him is the best victory.

I enjoyed the writing style (you can read the epilogue for a peek here!) and the dream behind the story; after Tang passed away, her husband picked up the project and continued it in her honor! It made the story sweeter to read knowing this was Tang's vision that was able to be completed.

(And just saying, Michael was my favorite character.) *happy sigh*

There were some aspects of the book I didn't enjoy as much, and I wouldn't recommend it to young readers (if interested, contact me for specifics). Still, it was a fun story I enjoyed! Tang and Streeter did a great job, and I appreciated the focus on the Gospel and support for the unborn! As I ended the book, I was reminded of the beauty of storytelling, characters, and truth in fictitious tales. *happy sigh*

So enjoy one of my favorite quotes from the book, and let's chat below!

 

 

It's your turn, my friend!

Have you read this brand new novel?! What's been on your heart lately? Do you enjoy book spotlights or more traditional posts?

(psst) Also I always enjoy hearing from you through my "Connect" page! Let me know if I can ever pray for you or support you in any way! *hugs*

(the Holy Spirit) who is a down payment toward the inheritance all us will receive at the final deliverance of those whom God has purchased to be His own, so that we would sing in praise of His greatness.

- Ephesians 1:14

~♥~

Hope for the "Middle" Times in Life

 

Dear January,

I first met you, wee hours of night, as fireworks celebrated the new year, and I sat beside friends and family I love, outdoor air. As another month, a year, closed, and you arrived. A bonfire danced, and I couldn’t keep from smiling. 

But not because of last year. I hear voices muttering “good riddance” to 2020, and I understand. It was hard, different, and we hurt and struggled in it. Yet I grasp onto the thousands of memories written in my journal and heart and remember: God was faithful in 2020.

I smile, not because of 2020, but because of His hope.

And January, you haven’t started easy. Already, I’ve cried and hurt and feared and messed up. I’ve also laughed and hugged and sang and skipped. It’s been hard and beautiful, like frigid waves on shell-soaked sand. But I can't help but smile in this middle time.

Middles:

Like my WIP, novel only half-done. I know the beginning, all the loose strings dangling with color, and I know the end, where those words will sweep in black ink, “the end”. But this middle eludes me. I lay in bed and dream, imagine, try to weave the strings together to look like the ending I already see.

I write, from the shores of distant isles to inland townships and then into the depths of the deserts. I watch characters unfold, lives change, laughter and tears. But now the middle of the story hesitates, looks toward me, an author working through her messy first draft and loving it. 

And another middle:

Shells on the Gulf. My sister and I sit by the waves gathering them one by one. We trace an outline in the sand and fill it with shells.

We know the beginning, we already drew out the end, but in the middle we work, dream, anticipate.

Life is like that.

I know where I started, what God has already done. And I know the ending too. 

This middle, this season of today, is beyond me; I just trust.

//  Beginning: I know God is faithful. I know He is in me. I know I am saved through His work, and I have peace with God, complete, beautiful peace. 

//  And endings: I rejoice in hope of the glory of God. I know what the purpose of my life is. I know what comes after. I know nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. I am made for a New Heaven and a New Earth, where all this world will pass away, and we will become whole.

Whole – like as I place shells, one by one, beside each other, colors. When it’s complete, I see the perfect picture in the sand, and I can’t help but grin because it’s more beautiful than I imagined.

So no matter what you bring, January, and what comes after, I know what my purpose is. I don’t know the middle – not in life, not in the fantastical WIP I scribble down adventures, not in shells I line side by side, but I know I am redeemed and bought with a price. And I know the ending God has for me. ♥

Nothing that happens can take that away. 

*grin* It’s what I choose to hold on to. It’s what brings me through life, hope. 

And that hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

I’m rejoicing! 

I want to challenge you, Friend, whatever your January looks like, however 2020 scarred you, dig deep. What is your beginning, your foundation in life? And what is your end, that final goal you live for?

They can define the middle – today and tomorrow – because He. is. faithful. But He lets you make the decision.

What's your hope today?

 

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

- 2 Corinthians 2:14

~♥~