As I look back on my life I see critical moments when pain sifted me through its cracks. These are the times when God saved me with His love.

Thank you so much for joining us on The Testimony Tour. You can check out Tiffany Perry here if you missed her post.

When I was 7 years old, a small group leader explained who Jesus was to me using the wordless Bible. Each color represented something different– God’s creation, sin, Jesus’ blood, cleansing from sin, and heaven.

 

My heart raced with nerves but I knew I wanted to say yes to Jesus, so I prayed with her, inviting the Lord into my life that day.

Now as a 45-year-old adult, I’m still learning how to say yes to Him. I’m still learning how to trust Him. Every. Single. Day. Click To Tweet

The beautiful thing about salvation is that the instant you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, that’s the moment you’re saved.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NIV)

But you know what? The moment of salvation is just the beginning of a lifelong tapestry of walking with Jesus through the good times and bad.

I see critical moments in my life when my soul was sifted through cracks of pain which ground me down to the core of my existence.

It’s in these circumstances where my relationship with the Lord is made strong as I discover anew how He rescues me with His love.

He doesn’t take away the hard times, but He uses them to purify me, to teach me who He is, and draw me close.

As I look back on my life I see critical moments when pain sifted me through its cracks. These are the times when God saved me with His love.

He saw me when I was an insecure 7th grader, desperately trying to hush my sobs in a bathroom stall, terrified of getting in trouble for cutting class.

I was a rule-follower, who had soaked up all the rumors that I was stupid. I had holes in my identity that I didn’t know how to fill up on my own. Jesus was my living water.

He saw me when I was a lonely high school freshman longing for friendship.

He gave me the strength to ride a church bus by myself to attend youth group. I told God if He didn’t give me a friend I would never go back.

I knew it was no accident when another girl sitting by herself, asked if she could sit with me. I don’t think I ever missed a Sunday after that day. I made a friend in the church choir, who I’m still best friends with today.

My faith grew strong as I learned who God was by being involved in a fabulous youth group. I made lots of friends and served with them in my church and community.

He saw my aching, 21-year-old, never-been-kissed, single heart that longed to be married and wondered if anyone would ever love me. A few years later, I met a man who loved the Lord and would become my soul-mate.

But soon, I found myself as a struggling newlywed whose world felt torn apart with unmet expectations. Jesus picked me up, held me, and continued to allow the trials in my marriage to make my faith and my marriage stronger.

Jesus heard my anger the day I questioned His love for me. The sound of chirping birds reminded me of His words in Matthew.

How could He possibly care about a sparrow falling from a tree when He didn’t even answer my constant prayers for a child? Why did all the fertility treatments fail, even after we prayed so hard?

But I came home and by no accident, opened my Bible to those same words in Matthew. He would use the sparrow to gently remind me of His tender care for me every time I saw one.

Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns–and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. Matthew 6:26 (NIV)

He was the life-ring I clung to when the doctor told me my only pregnancy in 6 years was ectopic, that I was bleeding internally and needed emergency surgery in order to save my life. I turned my eyes to Jesus and allowed the things of my sorrowful world to grow strangely dim as I was wheeled into surgery and asked by the pre-op nurse if I had any children.

But when I woke up, my world grew strangely bright by the words, “the doctor thinks you’re still pregnant” and I gave birth 9 months later to a healthy baby girl, named Madeline Faith. Jesus is my healer.

And by His immense grace, He’s blessed me with 3 more children who were all conceived naturally.

As I look back on my life I see critical moments when pain sifted me through its cracks. These are the times when God saved me with His love.

God saw this overwhelmed, frazzled, guilt-ridden mother of 4 who desperately wanted to stop yelling at her kids and be the mom she always dreamed she would be. He poured grace over me and equipped me through His Holy Spirit with the tools to learn how to control anger. He is my redeemer.

Jesus broke through the walls of this middle-aged woman when He told me He loved me over and over again until the words penetrated my calloused heart.

He opened my eyes to see the anxiety I lived in and asked me to take His hand and trust Him so we could walk through fear together. He wanted me to know I could trust Him. Jesus is my deliverer!

He sees me when life shatters my heart into broken shards of glass, each beat cutting deeper while my stomach twists in knots of restless anxiety over things outside of my control.

He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! Psalm 73:26 (NIV)

I honestly don’t know where I would be without the anchor of hope I find in my relationship with Christ.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. Hebrews 6:19

When the walls of my circumstances come crashing down, He is my sure foundation. Click To Tweet

What is your foundation built upon?

When your life is built upon the solid rock of Jesus Christ, you can take refuge in the fact that nothing in this world can separate you from His love. (Romans 8:38-39)

No matter what you are going through, you will NEVER lose the presence and the love of the Lord. You will always have Jesus.

If you don’t know Jesus, it’s never too late! You can have this same hope too! Simply pray and surrender your life to Christ by admitting your sin and believing that Jesus died on the cross.

Once you invite Jesus into your life, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You have a new purpose in life–to glorify God and spread His message of hope and salvation to others.

Dear Jesus,

I need you. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins. I want to live for you and find my peace in you. Lord, be my hope in this world when all seems hopeless. Be the anchor of  my soul that I can hold onto when I feel like I’m drifting away. Be the strength of my heart and my portion forever when my heart is breaking. I surrender my life to you and ask that you would direct my path and draw me close to you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

Be sure to visit Veronica’s blog to continue on the tour!

 

You can also visit the rest of the Tour by visiting the links below!

Day One Milk and Honey FaithMarried By His Grace

Day Two
Searching For MomentsSeeking God with Jaime Wiebel

Day Three
Simply For OneCord of 6

Day Four
VeronicaAnneShannon Geurin

Day Five Friends With GodFlourishing Today

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