SHARING YOUR LIFE MESSAGE
Colossians 4:5 (NIV) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
“Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word … The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore – you’re the message!” 1 Thessalonians 1:8 (Msg)
A testimony of grace by Angela Ventry, Child of God
A facilitator in Purpose Driven Parents RBF
I have spent many years of my Christian life in a cold, dark box. The perception of Christ as an instrument of grace was a completely foreign concept to me. My life consisted of “faith rituals”-sitting in a pew, singing hymns, having a daily quiet time, and maintaining an image of perfection to mask the pervasive feelings of shame that were ingrained in my spirit since childhood. On the outside of my box there was a pretty bow and a neat package. On the inside, there was gnawing emptiness and a thirst for something that was more tangible than my weekend rituals.
When I could no longer bear to live in the filth and darkness of shame, I decided to reach my hand out of my box. If the God whom I claimed to believe in was real, I had to trust Him and allow Him to see all of me-my pain, my self-rejecting behavior, my legalism, my shame. That was the moment a nail-scarred hand embraced my own. He lifted me out of my shame and allowed me to see His face. This was not a countenance filled with judgment and rejection. It was a face that reflected love, forgiveness, and complete acceptance. The woman who once considered herself a slave fell into the embrace of Christ. I will never be the same. I am a picture of grace, a reflection of the love of my Father and my Friend. I never have to run or hide. I stand blameless in the shadow of the cross.
It was never about who I was. It is about who He is. It was never about what I had to offer. It is His offering to me. The message of my life is grace.
Father,
You are everything that is beautiful and whole in my life. Every breath that I take is the gift of your grace. Thank you for loving me enough to allow me to see you for all that you really are. You are my life and purpose.In His grace, Amen.
40 days of purpose - The Church at Brook Hills……dplatt