Life Lesson #147 ~ Where You Are

"You own the skies and still You want my heart." ~ Unknown

I often find myself wondering why God has placed me where I am. I mean who am I to be a witness or give testimony of His grace? And yet it is He who has set my heart on fire and shown me mercy in spite of myself. I think sometimes if He hadn't chosen me before I was born, He might not have done so after wards. But I think that is the way many of us think, as if we're not ever good enough. But the truth is we're all sinners, not one of us is perfect and if that was a deal breaker than God wouldn't have provided forgiveness. He wouldn't have sent His Son, paving a  way for us to find redemption or for that matter shown us mercy and given us grace. I like how C. S. Lewis puts it, "I would rather be what God chose to make me then the most perfect person I can think of; for to have been thought about, born in God's thought, and then made by God, is the dearest, grandest and most precious thing ever."

Galatians 1:15 says, " For even before I was born, God had chosen me to be his and called me—what kindness and grace." And by His grace I have been given a wide canvas, filled with His glorious brush strokes. No matter what I have been through or what I have endured, it  doesn't even matter by who's hand, my Father has never let go of mine. My feet are planted, my heart is sound and my spirit is content right where I am. I may not be where His plans are yet to take me but I am right where I need to be in this very moment. I will not tell you life is easy, because it is most certainly not. I mean my life is absolutely an example of that. Cancer, the loss of my breast, type 1 diabetes, a stroke, RA, auto-immune diseases out the wazoo and a dozen other medical issues on my plate spells out difficult in capital letters. But I am not bitter and I do not resent my life or the journey it's taken me on. What I know is this: Life is an amazing journey even through the pain and uncertainty and I'll tell you why. All those dark nights, all the pain and suffering led me to new tomorrows and when the sun rose I was free. The Son took my hand leading me to where I am today. Even though He knew all I would do, the good and the bad and who I would become He still took my hand. And yes yesterday, today and tomorrow "I choose Jesus, the One who first chose me." The love of Christ, is not only mine but resonates  throughout my life, even as the sinner that I am. By His grace, I am aware just as curiano.com speaks of, "Inside me is a weak heart but behind it, is a strong God."

My hope is secured, my faith unshakable and my eyes set on my Father. Why you ask, seriously how can I be so sure, undeterred in my belief in a God I cannot see? I'll tell you, because He has never failed me, not even in my darkest hour. I'm here, my  feet planted firmly, assured I am a daughter of the King, adopted by grace and given a new name and a place within His kingdom all by His love and mercy. Jesus speaks to us of this in John 15:16. He doesn't mince words either as He speaks, assuring us, "I chose you. I wanted you. I appointed you. I set you where you are." Did you hear that? We are chosen, wanted and set where we are with purpose! See life may not always take us where we want to go, but God always takes us were we need to go. Unashamed Impact puts it this way, "Sometimes you think you're being buried when you're really being planted. God is using this season to grow you."

Jesus, He's my great deliverer and His Father is mine too. I trust Him, right where I am. My life, it's a testament of my Father's grace, mercy and unconditional love poured out over the last four decades of my life. Nothing in my life has been wasted, all my broken pieces have been put back together in ways I could never have imagined. Forgiveness and grace are mine to give because Jesus offered them to me when I least deserved either one. In spite of my past, of my scars and any current or future circumstances I am saved by grace, sealed and delivered into the arms of my Father. "I am chosen, blessed, adopted, forgiven, redeemed and accepted." I'm a child of God, grafted into His family. Isaiah 62:3 reassures me of this, "You’ll get a brand-new name straight from the mouth of God. You’ll be a stunning crown in the palm of God’s hand, a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God. Even with my dying breath, I will praise the God who first loved me. Today, I know no matter where  I am, I am right where He needs me to be. And that is really the core of Life Lesson #147 ~ Where You Are. We are all on different journeys, and we all are led in different directions, but the thread that ties us together is this truth found in Ephesians1:4, "You are chosen and loved."

"It feels good to be lost in the right direction." ~ Unknown

~Christina