A Story to Tell to The Nations

When my friend Aleesa has some really good news or some really good dirt so to speak she will text me and say these simple words “Girl do I have a story to tell to the Nations.” In reading those words it sends my nosiness gene into overdrive and I know I have to call her quick to get the news. I was reminded of those words yesterday though in a totally different context. I was roaming around the French Market yesterday with a friend doing the tourist thing and just hanging out when we stopped at a booth that had the coolest coasters with classic New Orleans Stuff on them. I picked up one that said “I know what it means to miss New Orleans.” I called my friends attention to it and said I had to have it, when the vendor asked me “Do you really know what it means to miss New Orleans?” “Yes mam I do I replied I am not from here but I have lived here for about six years now and in that year I knew what it meant to miss New Orleans.”
It was then that this woman a complete stranger began to recount to me and my friend her horrific story in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, of being trapped on a roof watching the water rise and hearing the groans of her family members as the sun was blistering their skin. “I knew we could not stay on the roof any longer so we got in the water, then I knew we could not stay in the water…” What she said next rocked my world “I was the only believer in my family, and all I could do was pray. The kept saying help will come but what they did not know was help was already there God was on the roof, and in the water and at the dome, because HE was with me, and now my family has a testimony of what God can do!”
Recounting that story gives me chills again as I sit here and write it. As I have thought of that story over and over for the last twenty-four hours it brought to my mind that we all have a testimony of what God can do. It also brings to mind a woman by the name of Mary Magdalene. Now this is a woman with a story to tell to the Nations. One of being possessed by demons and having Jesus himself cast them out, being there when he was crucified and then the story to end all stories. The gospels tells the story of resurrection morning, of Mary Magdalene going to prepare the body of Jesus and finding the tomb empty, of her running to get the others and staying behind after they left weeping when it happens… Jesus appears to her and says why do you look for the LIVING among the dead. Jesus picked Mary Magdalene a woman with a Story to tell the greatest story of them all… HE… IS…NOT…DEAD! HE IS RISEN!!
We all have a story, some are good, some are bad, but we all have a story. Over the last few months I have been learning that my story is not a weakness but a strength, and that was never more apparent than Saturday when a complete Stranger reminded me that God is always there on the roof, in water and through any storm life throws at me.
We all have a story to tell to the Nations, the story of serving a RISEN LORD!! We also have stories of how God has revealed Himself to us in the best and worst of life’s circumstances. The question is how will we use it to impact the kingdom?

Titanic Living Surrounded by Icebergs

In thinking about this idea of icebergs and the titanic it occurred to me this morning that I am sailing on the titanic of life and all of life’s little issues or big issues rather are one big mountain of an iceberg just waiting to sink me. We tend to focus on what is on the surface and not what lies beneath. It is not until we hit the iceberg that the mountain of ice that is so destructive explodes and is forced to float on the surface. The one good thing is that it breaks it up into chunks so that we don’t have to face it all at one time but we can take it piece by piece. It is not until we start dealing with the pieces that we understand why it was so destructive to us in the first place.
Once the titanic hit the iceberg it did not just float safely beside it in the water. It sank to the very depths of the ocean. When our ship seems to be sinking we have this life boat in Jesus that is ready to rescue us. Rescue, that is another word I have been chewing on a lot lately the idea that even though God is sovereign and he could put a bubble around me to prevent anything bad from ever happening to me, I would not learn of his unending mercy and grace. Instead he allows that first little particle of ice to form and those storms of life to creep up so that we learn to fully depend on Him.
God not only wants to be our all in all he wants to be our Rescuer. All I have every wanted in life was someone to fight for me, to die for me if need be. Little did I know I had that in the form of Jesus who stands in the gap for me even when I don’t have the strength to ask Him. God wants me to depend on him solely for my happiness and my security. He wants to be the LIFE BOAT! All to often when we hit those icebergs of life we are not prepared for the aftermath that will follow. We don’t rely on the life boat and we find ourselves just treading water. Have you ever really treaded water for a long period of time. It will wear you out! When we try and face problems and situations on our own with out Christ it will wear us out, and that is just what the enemy is looking for. A tired believer who thinks they have it all under control yet they are exhausted. The enemy sweet one is looking for away to drown you as you tread the cold waters of life. The only way to keep this from happening is to get safely into that life boat.
What do you do when you don’t have to strength to get in the boat? I am so glad you asked. There was a time when not only could I not get in the life boat I could not even see it on the horizon. It was then when godly people stood in the gap for me reaching out from the life boat to pull me in. Helping me to see the monster that sunk me in the first place and teaching me how to stay secure in the boat. Surround yourself with godly people, people who will build you up and not tear you down, who will give you godly council and if they need to will get in you BUSINESS to keep you floating in right direction.
Life is not a Saturday afternoon ride around the lake that you make in a row boat, but rather it is round trip ticket on an ocean liner that will take you into the deepest of waters. Sometimes those waters are calm and beautiful and sometimes they are stormy and frightening, but never the less it is a journey into the deep. Are you ready to take the journey to see what lies just beneath the surface and face it head on knowing you are safe in the lifeboat with Jesus.