Our Honeymoon painting! (Thanks Pastor Jason Brinkley for the Canvas)
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” [Isaiah 43:19]
Wasteland. That’s what we were. Completely dry, trying to quench life out of anything we could get our hands on. Whether it be alcohol, drugs, each other, our accomplishments, our appearance, or in a religious system. Just as a desert craves for the rain, our lives longed to be filled with something that fulfilled our needs of security, purpose, acceptance, hope, joy, and unshakeable love ..that’s why nothing could ever satisfy our unquenchable thirst.
“Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” -Jesus [John 4:14]
For years God had been tugging at our hearts & slowly changing us. Then we joined a small group called L.I.F.E. [Living In Freedom Everyday] and God put us on a spiritual catapult! We were finally freed from addictions, pride, shame, rejection, brokenness, depression, fear, the love of money, and so much more! Those things were replaced with the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
He also taught us how to see ourselves..not through our past, or failures, or the way others see us, but the way HE sees us. He sees us as pure, holy, blameless in his sight. All of our sin & shame was put on his perfect Son, Jesus. He traded our wickedness with his holiness! He has called us his royal children, heirs to his kingdom! He has said that He has chosen us, even before he made the world, to be holy and without fault in his eyes! [Ephesians 1:4] Of course this does not mean that Jeff & I never mess up. That’s where his grace abounds all the more. God will continue to refine us for the rest of our lives to be more like him.
We got married a couple of weeks after the LIFE retreat on May 24th 2014! Even though we had been together 7 years, it was the perfect timing for our union! I couldn’t think of a better way to start our life together than with God in the center. We painted this picture during our honeymoon & I believe it’s very symbolic to our new life. It’s our love birds song of freedom! It’s a year later & we are new creations! [2 Corinthians 5:17] We are now leading others to step into their freedom and all God has for their lives. We will go and sing our song of victory for all the world to hear and wake others up to life abundantly.
Let freedom ring!
Relateable Lyrics:
“On The Shores” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4P_1hdtuW8
On the shores of my soul I give you permission
To wash my tears away
And take all my disappointment
Fill me with joy once again
I’m gonna sing out loud And let my voice be heard
It’s a song of victory And its ringing in the earth
On the top of my cage I am sitting
Above the shame so lonely
Your kindness it has lifted me
To see the way that you see
Hallelujah
(Thanks Tom Baker for the beautiful photo!)
Random Jeff quote: “It got a lot brighter when I opened my eyes”…Me sarcastically, “Yes that tends to happen..” 😛
Term that has lost its meaning: Hopelessness
Starla Ward 