Lessons Learned

I read a “daily devotional” today that talked about how we face our past --- do we look at it through the lens of guilt, despair and shame, or do we look at it through the lens of God’s forgiveness, redemption and restoration?

Sprinkled throughout these past months has been the reminder of the word I chose for 2013 --- restoration. I can’t believe how many times the Lord has brought into the forefront of my mind stuff from my past. Some of it was covered with cobwebs as it had been hidden back in the dark corners of my mind. Others rose up out of cloudy, misty memories that I had hoped would stay out in the cold. I do know that we shouldn’t dwell on our past, that we should move on, press on, “forgetting those things which are behind.” Yet, there are times when we need to learn from our mistakes and pass those learning lessons on to others or leave lights along the pathway so others don’t trip over the same things we stumbled over.

I’ve been keeping a list of things I learned when I was in places that seemed to be nothing but desolate deserts. I’m sure the list isn’t complete and I’ll be adding more, but I wanted to share this with you today:

In my hunger, He alone could feed me.

In my thirst for Him, He proved only He could satisfy.

In my weariness, He taught me how to sit and “rest awhile.”

In my loneliness, He became my true friend.

In my restlessness, He became my contentment.

In my longings, He became my fulfillment.

In my desparation, He became my hope.

In my desires, He filled my needs.

In my broken dreams, He became my reality.

In my wanderings, He became my pathway.

In my darkness, He became my light.

In my despair, He became my encourager.

In my questionings, He became my answers.

In the heat of my days, He became my resting place.

In the endlessness of the desert, He became my horizon.

In my questions “why?” He became my answer, “Because I am that I am.”

In my blindness, He became my vision.

In my doubting, He became my faith.

In my midnight hours, He became my song.

In my falling, He lifted me up.

In my sinfulness, He touched me.

In my brokenness, He healed me.

In seeing Him, I became nothing.

In my nothingness, He became everything.

In finding Him to be everything, the desert became my Promised Land.

In finding my way through the desert, I found my ministry as a guide.

So yes, it is true that He DOES restore the years the locusts have eaten. I don’t think there is one thing on this list that was not worth learning!