Today is My Birthday

     Today is my birthday.  My husband bought me a treadmill (he got a sweet deal!).  So this morning I was walking on my treadmill and thinking about my childhood.  I have a very interesting story; a journey filled with many bumps, pains and sorrows.  I like to share my story with people because no one ever expects it.  To most I am a good "Christian girl" so I must have come from a good "Christian home".  While I would definitely thank God and my mother for a Christian upbringing, I would not call my childhood necessarily good.  Even though I have many happy and sweet memories, I have many unpleasant memories as well.

  As I was thinking about all of this I wished I could use my story to glorify God.  I wanted specific events and memories I could point to and say, "And then God did this amazing thing!"  As I flipped through bad memories in my mind, searching for redemption, grace or miraculous things to point people to God I suddenly saw an image of a pretty flower.  The flower was not really anything special or super beautiful.  It was beautiful, but what made it special was that it existed amid garbage and ugliness.  It seemed to glow because of it's surroundings, and it had a clear bubble type thing protecting it.  And then I felt God speak to my heart, in answer to my searching, "You."  "Me?" I thought.  Redemption, grace and miraculous was me?  Then I saw my childhood in a different light.  I saw a protective bubble around me and felt that God had placed my mother (and a few others) in my life and protected, guided and loved me.  I wish I could share some amazing and beautiful story of  my dad's redemption, or share how grace and love made my family whole, but I can not.  I can, however, share myself, the flower God has created and redeemed and loved, right out of the muck and mire, pain and sorrow.

     To this God I pledge  my life in service.  To this Savior I offer all of myself.  To this Friend I promise to trust and obey.