Reaching Gilgal

Last week my incredibly awesome church celebrated "Vision Weekend." There are no words to describe what an amazing worship service we had. Our pastors shared all our church has accomplished this year, where God has lead us, where He continues to lead us and His constant faithfulness and blessings He's poured out on our church. Every second of that service was planned out perfectly, nothing left untouched, perfectly put together by the power of the Holy Spirit. I was moved to tears. If you would have told me a year ago what all God would accomplish that year at our church, I would have been very sceptical, but I have learned to NEVER doubt God! Several times during the service, my "Bestie" leaned over to me to say, "Can you believe this?" It's amazing how much God wants to do in our lives, IF we're just willing to let Him, to surrender to His plans instead of our plans. After the service, Bestie said to me, "What a difference a year makes." That statement is so true that it's an understatement!

One year ago, I was closing out a year that had been filled with change and disappointment. Then something amazing happened one year ago in November. That was the month we began to call CCV "home." That was the month Pastor Jeff preached a life changing sermon, "Divine Interruptions." It was then that God spoke so clearly to me that He was about to deliver me. He was going to move me beyond the uncomfortable changes He was making in my life and lead me to the "Promised Land." Now, here I stand, one year later, overwhelmed with joy for all God has accomplished in my life through the last year. Everything I had to go through, every battle I fought, my struggle to bring justice, my grasping on to God's promise for me, has now come full circle.

This reminds of the Children of Israel. After suffering in slavery in Egypt, God promised His children that He would lead them to a "Land of milk and honey," the Promised Land. It most certainly didn't come quickly or easily. They wandered in the desert for 40 years! When they finally entered the Promised Land, they came to a place called "Gilgal," meaning "circle" or "wheel." The Israelites had come full circle. God moved them from slavery to victory. God has moved me from "slavery" to victory. My slavery was a different kind of slavery though. My slavery was settling for comfortable, the mundane, in other words....boring. God used hurt and pain to move me towards change. That bold step of faith I made into change lead to PURE JOY! I too, like the Israelites, have come full circle, I have reached my Gilgal!

As I look ahead, only two weeks away from a new year, 2010, I'm so thankful for God's redemption and so excited to see what He has for me next. God has taught me a lot about embracing change. Change is God's way of growing me and molding me for good, to empower me to serve Him and live out His purpose for me in life. I am choosing not to settle, to believe that God is capable of doing what may seem impossible in the earthly realm. I'm believing God to work miracles in me just as He has at my church, because God can do more than I could ever imagine!