I love to visit today's guest hostess Erin. She has such a heart for our God and her journey is in progress and it is a beautiful one. I love her blog name and I was immediately drawn to it because one of my favorite stories in the Word is about an alabaster jar. So go say hello to Erin on her blog, My Alabaster Jar!
**********
Hello and welcome to Christy’s blog! She had to step away for a few days and asked a few of us to blog-sit. As any proper Southern lady would do, I immediately offered my assistance.
Have a seat; make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a sweet tea? Or piece of red velvet cake?
No? Well then allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Erin and I blog over at www.erin-brady.com. I started blogging last October and have been blown-away by this other world that I never knew existed. When I began, my objective was to simply talk about how, despite my many failures (or maybe because of my many failures), God ransomed me. He saved me. He wanted me and He loves me.
I did not expect to find friends…sisters, if you will. But I did. And I have learned so much from them. I can’t wait to see where this journey takes each one of us.
As a co-hostess, Christy asked me to write on the topic of “What I would like for you to know…” I have thought and thought about the things I could say. The following items came to mind:
· I am pretty sure that North Carolina is the best place to live. We have mountains AND the beach; golf courses and roller coasters; summer and winter.
· A pedicure can cure almost whatever ails you.
· I can play the violin and the piano…but not at the same time.
· I think everyone should like me and I have a hard time when I learn that someone doesn’t like me.
· I love expensive handbags.
· I have braces.
· I hate braces.
And I could. I could write for days about these things but it wouldn’t mean anything to you. If I share anything here, I would like it to be something that sticks; something that you can relate to and maybe, something that will encourage you.
So, what I would like for you to know is that I am living proof of Philippians 1:6.
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (KJV).
When I was 16 years old, I took it upon myself to prove everyone and everything wrong. In a round-about-way, I also set out to prove that Paul did not know what he was talking about when he said these words to the Philippians.
I turned my back on church. I turned my back on my Christian friends. I turned my back on my parents.
There were a few events that led me to believe my decision was warranted.
For the next several years, I lived without regard to God. I knew He was there but we weren’t very close. And I was okay with that. My mother kept telling me, “Erin, you can run but you can’t hide from God.” I thought she was a little-bit insane. Those were the last words I wanted to hear.
But I did hear her. And in my heart, way down deep in the dark places that I didn’t even go, I knew she was right. My life was going well and I was happy but I wasn’t fulfilled.
I didn’t have joy.
And then He started speaking to me. His words were not audible but they were real. My heart began turning back to Him. I wasn’t sure how to get back there. I was worried that I had gone too far away.
And then November 27, 2007 happened.
I was blown away by the love of my God. He was my God, after all.
I realized that He didn’t care about my mistakes and He was the joy that I was missing. I cannot believe the happiness that I have in my life now. My relationship with God is growing and He is doing things that I would have thought impossible.
I say this to you, parents: God will complete the work that He began. In His time, He will complete it. If your kid is in “that place,” remember Paul’s words to the Philippians.
I say this to you, young people: You can run but you can’t hide from God. I can save you the leg work. I have been where you are and there is only one place where you will find true fulfillment.
He will complete that good work.
He will. He is. He does.
