Amazing

This past weekend I went on a women's retreat with my church and it was amazing!  And now I definitely know why Satan didn't want me to go.

The first night there God blessed me to be able to help a 52 year old woman discover why she needed Jesus in her heart, and I got to witness her open up her heart and life to HIM!  She accepted Christ and almost immediately you could see the scales fall from her eyes and her heart fill with peace.  We laughed and cried and rejoiced! It was amazing. 

During the next two days God used me to share, console, bless, encourage, exhort, and love on about 7 other women.  He put me in the right  places at the right times and gave me the words to speak.  I felt God living and moving within me for the first time in months, maybe years, and it was awesome.  Usually people go on women's retreats to see what God wants to teach them.  God ended up bringing me on this trip to be there for others.  It felt so good to be used by Him, I felt like I was right where He wanted me to be. 

I want to feel like that everyday.  I want to live IN His presence.  I want to feel that my life is an act of worship, not just the songs I sing.  God really impressed it on my heart that I need to serve, I need to be aware of the needs of the people around me and do whatever I can to help meet those needs. 

Andy and I both have been going through a sort of spiritual transformation over the last few months.  It's like that verse Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared IN ADVANCE for us to do."  I feel like God is preparing us for something that he wants us to do as a family.  Whether that is a ministry, a mission, or church leadership, we don't know yet.  But our job right now is to allow God to work on us, shape us, mold us, so that we can be in the right place to be used by Him when that time comes. 

I am so glad I squashed all those fears over going on this retreat.  God is sooo good and I can't wait to see what else He has in store for our life :)