Choices

Unexplainable crises that we’d never asked for are often the backdrop of our greatest spiritual breakthroughs.
From Matt Tullos

I don't want that to be true... But I think Matt's right.
When I'm determined to go my own way, God is gracious enough to let me. And then He's there to pick up the pieces after my way turns out to have been the wrong way.

There's an old DC Talk song that goes,
"Some people gotta learn the hard way,
I guess I'm the kind of guy who's got to find out for myself."

I am so glad that God is in the business of making amazingly wonderful good things out of travesties. All those people in the Old Testament who sin... It isn't about how perfect a Christian is- we're not. Christians are messed up. Everyone has the potential for incredible evil, and Christians are no different. The incredible thing about knowing God intimately is knowing that He can take my worst and most heinous mistakes and make something beautiful out of them.

He can take something horrific and make good. But oh, how He longs to use us before we make the worst mistakes we possibly can. His longing is to hold us and protect us from the evil we can do- so that it doesn't happen. He can make beauty out of a life lived dedicated to Him.


See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and his arm rules for him.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:10-12

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matthew 23:37