I surrendered my life to Christ and began to completely
follow Him on April 16, 2001. I was 24 years old and although I had grown up in
a Christian home this was the first time I had truly allowed Christ to be Lord
of my life. I had grown up in church and knew the truth but in my late teens I
began to make choices that took me down a very dark path. As I began to walk
out this Christian life I was in awe of God’s forgiveness and passionate about
serving Him with my whole life. My story for a long time has centered on the wonder
of Christ taking a broken and lost young life and receiving me into His
kingdom, just as I was. I now stand before God complete & whole. Justified.
Redeemed. Forgiven. My salvation is
secure and I know who I am in Him.
As I celebrate 103.1 pounds lost this week I found myself
reflecting back on all the work that God has done in my life over the last 14
months. I realized that my testimony of the story of God’s work in and through
my life does not end with my surrender to Him. God desires that we continually
allow Him to work in and through us so that we may always have a story of His
transformation to tell. God has used my obesity, my addiction, my recovery, and
this journey to bring Him glory! As I have allowed God in to this dark area of
my heart and seen Him bring healing and wholeness I have to wonder what would
happen if I allow Him into the other dark areas of my heart? Yes it has been at
times a very trying and painful process to develop self discipline, to deny
myself, and to surrender of my old habits & desires. BUT I have never felt
a closer connection with the Lord and have never know His love & strength
more intimately than I have the last 14 months. I realize that if we are
walking through this Christian walk feeling completely comfortable than we may
be limiting God’s work in and through our lives. I absolutely believe that God
has NO intention that we be comfortable. God’s every intention is that we grow
and growth requires movement, stretching, molding, and sometimes pain. Our
growth brings God glory and ultimately shows the world around us that He is the
one and only living God. He is the one and only path to Life.
As I celebrate this current victory and continue on this
physical, emotional, and spiritual path of transformation I am daring to allow
God into even more dark areas of my heart. This is not the end of His plan for
me, this is just the beginning. I am daring to be brave enough for even greater
transformation of my soul. Are you brave enough? Has your testimony gotten
stalled at your salvation or is God allowed into every area of your life to
create change to His glory? Let’s be brave together and trust a loving God to
allow growth and fruit in our lives! Praise God for the great things that are
yet to come!
