THE BIGGER PICTURE

Chances are if you have been reading my blog, even since the birth of Judah, you know God is moving and working in my life. I am grateful for all He has done, continues to do and has yet to do. Yesterday I got an email from a childhood friend. Her and I were best friends in kindergarten and we still keep in touch. God has moved us both all over the place, but more importantly He moved in our hearts and we both accepted Him as our Lord and Savior about the same time. We both grew up knowing about Jesus and the cross, just NOT knowing TRUTH. Praise God the truth has set us both free.

After typing the post about Isabella’s new baby doll I sent her the link because I knew she would get a kick out of it. Apparently she read a little more and this was part of her email to me yesterday:

Mari
I was just reading your blog, It felt like we were catching up and reliving memories. Your life is just a miracle. I know what God brought you out of and the fact that you are an awesome mom with 4 gorgeous children is just a miracle! You are a living testimony of God's grace.

One of my favorite songs is Oh, How He Loves Us and there is a line I love about grace:

If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking



It is those friends who REALLY knew us when that know and can testify to all that God is doing and they know it is God because they know where we come from. Her and I saw a lot of heartache together, she knows that my life IS a MIRACLE. The enemy sought to kill and destroy me since childhood, but God WON my heart and life.

There is a bigger picture than the trials I face now as an adult and have shared here. There is a past and that past attempts to shape my future. I must seek God and HIS PLANS for my future. I must agree with His plans for me and come out of agreement with the enemy's plan of destruction.

Last Saturday we went to an outdoor event and saw several people from the first church we attended in Georgia. They commented about our four children because they remember praying for me when I could not get pregnant. It was a great reminder of God’s faithfulness and promises.

This week I have been reminded of where I have come from and what I have come out of and it makes me excited about my future because God HAS moved mountains in my life and has become the Daddy I always wanted. He has transformed my life into something beautiful and as my friend Malorie always says, "I am not the exception, I am the rule".

But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor 2:9-10 KJV

God has been prompting me since Judah's birth to share some of my past and I will do that soon. It is my hope that it will encourage others with similar stories.