Lost and Found: Being Story Tellers of God’s Grace

I had the privilege of having friends in for the long weekend. Friends my husband and I have known for over 12 years.  Friends who lived overseas with us and saw us at our worst.  We talked and laughed about some of those times, and what we did to survive (Coca Cola was a common theme, and World of Coke a fitting place for us to visit).  We told stories, and remembered.  Talked about where we are now and where we’ve been.

As I was reading over at SheReadsTruth in Hosea, day 2, I found this quote “being found isn’t as beautiful if you don’t admit you were once lost”.  I loved it.  I feel like this is my heart cry.  Finding myself dealing with my junk, being forgiven, telling people how Jesus was in it through the whole process…then dealing with more crap, being forgiven and telling others of it.  As much as it hurts, I love this pattern.  I get to tell stories of God’s healing and His grace.  Heck, I AM His story and evidence of His healing and grace.  My story telling can remind others that He is in the crap and the junk and He’s working in it…even when you can’t feel Him or see it.  My telling stories reminds ME of the fact that He’s in it and working through the crap and the junk.  That I was lost and He found me.  That I might be lost now, but He’s helping me find my way.

All the walks down memory lane from this weekend had me thinking a lot about who I was 12 years ago.  I can hardly recognize myself.  Strangely, I feel like I’m so much more ME than I was then.  God took what was there and cleared out the dust and the cobwebs and junk cluttering me being who I really was so I could be who I really was in Him.  I’m still prone to sarcasm and eye rolls, but so much quicker to give grace.  Still struggle with hanging on to hurt and bitterness, but forgiveness comes quicker and is possible.  I still love to host and cook, but am so much more gracious in it (after lots of burning things, failed recipe attempts, and after getting over being a perfectionist about it and my house).

On the flip side, I can see where I so easily could have gotten lost and not ever seen this side of me, but for His grace.

I want to be a story teller.  One who tells stories of God’s crazy and redeeming love.  How over and over He rescues me and gives me grace.  How He picks me up and sets me back on my feet.

I was talking to a friend just this morning about a verse used in church this weekend:

“Is anything too hard for the LORD?” Genesis 18:14a

And can I be honest?  Just a few months ago I didn’t believe that He could do all things.  I didn’t believe He could restore and renew.  I believed there were some things in my life that were too hard for Him. I doubted, and didn’t have faith.  But even in my unbelief He was faithful…and I am completely in awe of the work He is doing.  He IS making all things new, and restoring all things.  There is NOTHING too hard for the Lord.  Not righting that situation, not renewing that relationship, not mending your broken heart, not giving you a child or a husband, not redeeming you or FINDING you…even when you and everything else seems lost. (last sentence a paraphrase of my pastor)

Nothing is too hard for the Lord.  He can find us when we are lost.  Lets not forget to tell the stories of how He has done that!  While you are in the midst of the stories, and when you are on the other side.  What makes this crazy faith journey so wonderful is that we can look back and see all the ways we were lost and enslaved, and the beauty of how He found us.  And when we are in the midst of feeling lost again that others come by our side and whisper in our ears the stories of His grace, reminding us of the way He has redeemed, how when all hope seemed lost…He was there.

So, how has He saved you?  What situations and scenarios has He brought you through…shown His goodness and faithfulness in?  Tell yourself the story of those times.  If you have something right now where you feel lost…He WILL find you.  Ask and listen to others stories of being found in the darkness, about when all seemed lost how He brought hope.  Let’s all be story tellers of God’s goodness and grace, reminding one another of the beauty of how we have been found!