Ponder This: Where have you seen God turn your darkness into light?
Scripture To Consider: You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. -Psalm 18:28
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Karen's Response: I have loved Jesus for as long as I can remember, but there have been times when I turned away from Him and looked to the world for comfort and direction. Looking back, I see moments when I tried to fill my emptiness with things that didn’t last. Some of the choices I made during those times became chains that weighed me down. They were ammunition the enemy used to make me feel ashamed and unworthy. But our God breaks chains! For me, He brought people into my life who encouraged me to grow in my faith and learn more about who God is by reading Scripture instead of following what the world says. As I spent time in God’s Word, I was reminded of what was true, and light started to break through my darkness. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” God’s words to me are always gracious, loving, kind, forgiving, understanding, merciful, patient, healing, and convicting. He reminded me that I am His daughter, and nothing I do can change that. Romans 8:28 tells us, “that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” I know I will make mistakes again, but I also know God’s grace and goodness are greater than my failures. I am grateful that God uses broken people, redeemed through Jesus, to shine His light.
Tom's Response: I got a call around midnight in April 2007. It was my wife crying. She woke up to a surgeon with a terrible bedside manner who gave her bad news. She had some very serious and shocking health issues. For the next year, she was in and out of the hospital. It felt like she was hit with something new every day. We had a newborn and a 9-year-old at home. We were carrying a lot of debt on 2 homes we were building. The recession cut our cleaning business revenue in half. Due to Karen's health, we had to back out of selling our home that was under contract and were being sued. To top it off, our dog ran away when we were traveling to the Cleveland Clinic in South Florida.
Family and friends pitched in in so many different ways. We hired help as well. Karen was not supposed to lift anything. That meant she couldn't pick up the baby. So, most nights I had our baby Billy to myself. What I thought would be a chore because I was really tired became the time my lamp burned brightest. God gave me the gift of sitting and feeding our baby in the quiet of the night. I had so much going on throughout the day; I rarely stopped to talk to God. These nights with the baby overwhelmed me with gratitude. An inward peace came over me, and time seemed to stand still. None of the day's negative things mattered. God had me where he wanted me, and it began to change the way I tried to solve problems. Instead of trying to fix everything myself, I began leaning on Him and asking for help, and He did.
Psalm 62:5 Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.
