Welcome Women of Influence!!!
On my shelf I have a book “Losing it all and Finding Yourself” by Richard Dortch.
Have you ‘lost it’ lately? You are in good company. Peter lost it when he denied Christ three times. How depressing that must have been. Here he was, so strong in his walk with Christ, and at the first unexpected turn he find himself out of control. But Jesus saw the big picture. Jesus wasn’t surprised, and Jesus went out of his way to restore Peter after his resurrection.
God has more for your life than you ever imagined! He wants to change the world through you. No matter your background, your skills, education, personality traits or limitations – God knows you better than you know yourself and He wants to mold you into a beautiful bush.
I have some unmolded juniper bushes in my yard. When we moved in, we had a lot more, but they were so unruly, we had to get rid of some. As I was walking last night, I saw some beautiful bushes – they have been molded and formed, and along with everything else in the garden, they make a beautiful picture.
Molding means being pruned – sometimes a little bit, sometimes a whole branch. The molded bush would probably would be jealous of my juniper bushes – growing wild and free without restraint. But my juniper bushes never knew there was an end to themselves. They thought the whole world was designed to fill their pleasure – until the day my husband took them out. The pruned bush will have a long, productive life – yet it will reach the end of itself quite often – it will encounter the “Other”, the gardener, who knows more than it does and in whose wisdom the bush can trust.
When we reach the end of ourselves, when we really ‘lose it’, we find a branch that God is pruning. Maybe it is pride, selfishness, control, fear – whatever debilitates and blinds is something that God wants to prune away. Peter lost it – denied Christ – really failed – but Christ restored him. In fact, Peter saw 3,000 come to Christ from his first major public sermon just a few weeks later! In your areas of failure, look for the work of God. Richard Dortch is right. When we lose it all, we really do find ourselves – the selves that God intended all along and is molding each and every day.
So when you lose it, relax and admit you need some pruning. Trust the Master Gardener to remove those branches from your life. Ask Him for His help.
God loves you just as you are, and will help you become all you can be. You can trust Him.
Many Blessings,
Pastor Kim
Staying Focused 