What's your "Gracyn"?

I ran across a box of old photos today. This particular one made me laugh out loud. Are we slaves to eras or what? The shades, the shoulder pads, the branded jeans, the bangs, etc...nothing less than typical for that time frame. Makes me laugh, makes me want that figure back! Makes me want those bangs to stay dead and buried in old boxes of photos, never to resurface!

It's a pretty cool thing to look back in time. To reflect on where you once were, where you've been since that time, and where you are now. WOW, how much road I've traveled since that picture!

In that picture, I was leaving the house of my best friend at that time. Years later, I married him. We divorced 8 years later. I met someone else after that and lived through a tough life for another few years. That relationship imploded and I left it a mom-to-be. Then I moved on made new friends, rekindled strong relationships with my family, and most importantly came back to my God. Whew! What a whirlwind of events since that picture was taken. You could have NEVER convinced that girl in the picture that ANY of that stuff would've happened that way. NEVER!!!! She would've thought you were completely insane. But one wrong step, one wrong decision can take you places you never imagined you'd go and never wanted to go or planned to go.

The cool thing is...deep down that sweet, innocent, hopeful young woman is still alive and well inside of me. We can recover from our pasts. We can come running back home to God. No matter how big your mistakes are, they are never too big for God. The little things you struggle with or can't seem to manage by yourself consistently; they are never too small for God either.

God blessed me in countless ways and even used some of the nightmare to pull me back out of the cesspool my life had become. Nothing is too big or too small for Him. His grace is sufficient. His grace can flood your life. It began as a little peanut in my belly, later appropriately named Gracyn. Look for him in your BIG monster struggles as well as in your little itty bitty struggles, frustrations, and distractions. He will provide help, a way out, whatever you need, HE WILL throw you a life-line. You have to be looking for it. Mine was Gracyn. What's yours? What will yours be? He will throw them out to you throughout your whole life in your various stages, mistakes, and struggles. Look for them. Watch for your next "Gracyn". I am always looking for mine in my current challenges. They are there, but we have to be seeking them and always watching for Him. Trust Him and you'll be amazed at what He will do in your life, I am still amazed each and every day.