God's strong enough!

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Healing and cleansing, that's what I got this weekend!!!

A friend and I talked prior to the weekend and I prayed that I could be a humble vessel that the Holy Spirit can use to comfort this dearest friend. But as the conversation progressed through the night, it seemed that God didn't have just one agenda here. He wanted to surround my friend with comfort and love through human means and to assure my friend of how His grace and mercy can take the ugliness of our lives and turn it all around to be something so beautiful it takes our breath away. Yes, He wanted my friend to let go of her pain and give it to Him to take care of. But I was so surprised that He had a message for me as well. Here, I thought I would be the vessel for His comfort for my friend but I realized God was comforting me too and revealing that I had a burden I didn't realize I was carrying for over a decade.

On Sabbath morning, at church, my heart was heavy with this burden and I realized that I never went to Him for forgiveness. I didn't relinquish the sin and it's ugliness to Him. I do believe that He has forgiven me but for the purposes of healing and cleansing of my soul, I had to go to Him and lay it before Him and ask for His forgiveness and cleansing. As the worship service progressed, every song that was sang or verses that were spoken hit me like a ton of brick and my iniquities were ever before me. I felt shame and sadness that I've hurt God so much and never asked Him for His forgiveness for soooo long. The tears came and I couldn't stop them and in my heart I asked God to forgive me. I fell on my knees during prayer apologizing with incredible regret that I have hurt Him and never really repented for it. I felt His love and forgiveness surround me. My burden no longer stared me at my face... my heart no longer felt so heavy. My heart felt light and His incredible love was in front of me, around me, and deep inside me.

As I listened to a friend sing "Strong Enough", I cried tears of gratitude and joy for His love and His mercy. He truly did as the lyrics said, "He took my life into His hands, and turned it all around. In my most desperate circumstance, is where I'm finally found... that You are strong enough, that You are pure enough, to break me, pour me out and start again, that You are brave enough, to take one chance on me, Oh thank You for my chance to start again."

I am ever thankful to God for revealing this to me for I would have never known of it on my own. =) And I thank my friend, whom I dearly love and care for, for sharing her heart and soul with me.

May God continue to break us and mold us into His being and in the process will make us whole!

"Strong Enough" by Stacie Orrico

As I rest against this cold hard wall, will you pass me by?
Will you criticize me as I sit and cry?
I had fought so hard and thought that all my battles had been won
Only to find the war had just begun

Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out and start again?
Is He not brave enough?
To take one chance with me
Please can I have one chance to start again

Will my weakness fall and and now make me suffer for a lifetime?
Is there any way to be made whole again
If I be renewed and find forgiveness by the strength I've never had
Will my scars forever ruin all God's plans?

Is He not strong enough?
Is He not pure enough?
To break me, pour me out and start again?
Is He not brave enough?
To take one chance with me
Please can I have one chance to start again

He took my life into His hands
And turned it all around
In my most desperate circumstance, is where I'm finally found

That You are strong enough
That You are pure enough
To break me, pour me out and start again
That You are brave enough
To take one chance on me,
Oh thank You for my chance to start again