The Chapters of Our Lives...

She was first a child, brewing with all the intricacies of innocence. As a paint brush splashes a mixture of colors on a palate, so was she streaked with the colors of ideals, momentums, and dreams. She gradually grew up into a young boisterous teen, with a fiery furnace burning inside her, telling others that she knew exactly what she was doing, even though she knew not what she boasted about. She had the indignant "no-return" policy of a wild teenager. Then one day she finally became a woman...burning with passion for the love of a man. Making a list that was past three pages, of prerequisites and requisites, all she ever wanted in a man and a career. She gave her life to Christ at 21, got persecuted at 22, became angry at God at 23, and turned back to him at 24. At this time, her long list had narrowed down to the genuine number of 5. Just four key identifiable things she wanted in her other half, and one in her future career. She passed through the wilderness, ran through valleys, and finally climbed her first mountain at 29...getting married and finalizing her career options. She pushed a handsome and fair male out of her womb at 31, her first child...the one she called "Zion," for Micah 4:10 said, "Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, Like a woman in birth pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, You shall dwell in the field, And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies."
.
But where was God when she was pushing? Where was He when she lost a lot of blood, or when they had to bring her back to life with an oxygen mask after she stopped breathing? He definitely was not there. But she regained her sanity at 33. At 40, she looked back at her life...at her accomplishments and how she came to be where she was now. It was never easy, but she had built her character. She was the woman she was because of those times in the wilderness. The chapters of her life came and went, and she had some more chapters yet still ahead of her...

*************************************************

I was singing during Praise & Worship on sunday, this song they call "Alpha & Omega." It hit me that if we can just really stop for one second, and not see things at mere face-value, but instead look at them from God's throne (from above), we would see just how small our problems really are from up there. One problem only occupies one line in one chapter of your book. The way I see it now, God has a lot of bookshelves...and in each book, there is a story of an individual life. Each book is a story of trials, passages, and successes. Each book ends with a success story, but it is still up to the character to make those successful moves, and if they fail to do so, then they will become the opposite of what the book has written about them. Alpha means "The Beginning," and Omega means "The End." God sees the beginning and He sees the end of all things.

God doesn't flinch when things don't go right, because He knows what page that is in your book. Don't just be a spectator, but be a participant in the reader's club. Read the chapters of your life the way God sees it, and you'll be more than just fine at the end of the novel.

Have a blessed week as you become engaged in your life as a book...

Enjoy Jason Castro's Halleluyah. My favorite this week...though I think the winner is already David. God bless you...