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Saturday, September 18, 2010

Old Things New

I am amazed at how I can look a scripture a million times and even memorize it. Then one day, I wake up and that same old scripture becomes something BRAND NEW. During my dads illness and eventual passing we had a theme scripture that we meditated on throughout the entire event and then even after he passed we used this same scripture to comfort us day after day.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I have worn this piece of scripture as a badge for the last 13 years of my life. This scripture badge was worn to remind myself that no matter what happens in my life and in the lives of those around me that I love and care about; that God has a plan of hope for my future. So when we had to face illness, and the death of my dad, even though it hurt more deeply than anything else I had experienced, there was still a peace there. This peace was able to be present in my life because of the glint of hope for my future. This peace came because I wore this scripture as a badge of hope for my future. I pulled it out every time I started to feel sorry for myself for losing my dad. I held on to it tightly every time I was faced with turmoil in my life after he passed. I ran my hearts fingers over it every time I felt like I was in a place in my life that was dark, cold, lonely and hopeless. This scripture and I have been through many wars of life together and it has become my comrade in the heat of each war that we have faced together.

Today however, I have seen this same old comrade of a friend scripture in a new best friend way. Let me share my new friend with you.

"This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”" Jeremiah 29: 10-14


You see my old comrade introduced me to some new friends. He brought along other verses with him. Verses 10, 12, 13 and 14. Boy, do these new friends pack on a whole new meaning for me today. For a long time (13 years to be exact), I have been in a land far from home. A foreign country. A country of captivity, bondage, hurt and hopelessness. You see, even though I clung onto verse 11, I still felt hopeless in my life. Even though verse 11 was in the trenches with me... I was still in the trenches period! I was trapped in the trenches, or shall I say the ditch! The pit! The cave! It was a dark, gloomy and scary time for me. I knew my day would come that the war would end and I could come out of the trench, and go home. It took many yesterday's to get to today. Now, I can finally say those yesterday's are over and I am finally going home. The war has ceased and it is a brand new day. I am going back to the place I call home. Home to me is a place of safety and refuge. A place of hope and newness. I am getting there. My faithful friend is going with me along with my new friends, and God Himself is leading me. I am so thankful that God has taken something old that I have grown to love and lean on (a simple scripture), and turned it into something new. Isn't it just like Him to make all things new? Even His own words of truth. Rejoice today! Yesterday is gone but not forgotten. Today is a brand new day to wear a whole new badge. I will wear both badges with honor. With the hope that I do and will have a prosperous future ahead of me now that I am going home.

1 comments:

Heidi Bylsma said...

Angelina...I miss you. I hope you are doing ok. Give your pups a kiss on their noses for me and know that I love you.

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