There is a branch on one of my favorite hikes that is very interesting. Over time, many people have taken hold in the same spot as they take a steep step up. It now appears shiny and it is smooth to the touch. The roughness has been worn down and the oil of hiker’s hands has made it shiny.
Before we come to Christ we are like the small off-shoot below, rough, frail, and a dull sheen. As we grow in the Lord, we become stronger. There are places in our lives that are rough and as we surrender them to the Lord, his touch smoothes out the rough and he applies oil that makes us shine.
There is a second lesson in this branch for me as well. It makes me think of the trials in our lives that refine us. As time goes on the Lord redeems them for His glory. He makes it a place in your life that you can offer to others who are going through similar trials and we can help them through. We are more able to enter into the sorrows and heartaches of others and be used by God to encourage them, uplift them, and edify them. Help them up the steep part of their trial trail.
The Lord brought this branch to mind recently, on more than one occasion.
A dear sweet friend asked me to pray for her about something she is in the midst of. The Lord using a spot of my life, now worn smooth, to help another sister in Christ by sharing what I learned through my trial.
Also, I have been reading through two very good books, Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts: A Dare To Live Fully Right Where You Are and Grace Is For Sinners by Serena Woods. Both of these books speak to the same deeper message; that God is sovereign and is always in control. He allows what comes into our lives, the “good” and the “bad”. He uses hard trials and failures to refine us so that we are more usable to His purposes for our lives. We are to be thankful for them. Then, He will use us to help others through where we have already been.
I have learned so much from both of these books. They bring conviction to the heart and much to ponder to the mind, so much to wrap my brain around. God has used them to show me some rough spots He needed to smooth out in me. They have both brought out facets of God’s Grace, that though I thought I had a handle on, upon further deeper consideration, I had just shoved aside in pride. They have brought to mind things I must confront within myself and generate lasting change.
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366. I am grateful for the places in my life He has worn smooth.
367. a husband who encourages a break at a local coffee shop to think, read, and blog
368. the gift of time
369. fresh blanket of snow
370. Reading Class done snuggled up on an overstuffed love seat
371. the gift of being able to pray for others…
372. it is a gift you can give them that they cannot reject, because they don’t need to know you are praying for them, a gift that can be given in secret, known only by you and the Lord
373. the ‘self-check’ as a result of challenging reading
374. the forgiveness of God, that it is instantaneous
375. wisdom given by God
376. being able to enter into the trails and trials of others as an encouragement, to uplift, to edify, to help along…
377. as a result of “hard eucharisteo” in my own life
378. warm socks on cold feet
379. comfy warm clothes
380. sweet encouraging comments
Start your own gratitude list and link up with us over at A Holy Experience in the gratitude community hosted by Ann Voskamp.
