repurposed....

repurposed is one of the "hot" new words right now.  it means: to adapt or utilize (something) for a new purpose.  we re-purpose clothes, plastics, electronics. but what about people?  can a person be repurposed?  yes, they can, i am one of them! 

my life is not the same as it used to be.  over the years i have changed course when i should not have.  i have taken many "side streets" when i needed to remain on the narrow one-way road.  with age comes some wisdom, lol, and i am not as prone to "explore" these side streets.  i am much more aware of the allure they have rather than the benefit.  i have changed "route" over the years, but not my final destination.  

each time i have taken a side street i lost sight of who i am, what i am called to do and how i am to do it.  i lost confidence in my skills, gifts and abilities.  my self-esteem spirals downward.  i stumble and fall.  i have even failed those around me.  i dislike everything, including myself.  at times i had felt i had gotten to lost to find my way back where i belong.  depression, anxiety and despair would fill my days and sleepless nights.  it is then i returned to following my life "garmin".

my garmin knows the phrase "rerouting" all too well!  like a cd that skips over and over and over again-"rerouting".  trying to get back to the main path i belong on may take several "turns" that can drag the route out even farther.  lost!  am i lost or just misguided!  doubt clouds my prayers.  my head is full of noise.  i am so grateful and blessed He always leads me back on course and here is where i am repurposed.  even those "wrong turns" He uses to His glory.  He always has a purpose for me, service in His Kingdom and each time He gets me "rerouted" He gives me a re-purpose.

He has used my "wrong turns" to share with others which way NOT to go.  how to listen to the garmin of their life to return to their path if lost.  to find HIM if they are ETERNALLY lost.  to give Him all the praise and glory for the life and path He has given to us.  on our own, we cannot even begin to know the difference that walking a wrong path can make.  the consequences and repercussions that must be lived with.  the people around us that are impacted by our route.  the eternal separation at the end of a path not led by Him. 

we would miss out, i would have missed out, on the greatest calling, purpose, direction a life has without Him guiding our path.

that is the amazing love of Christ.  He can take any life, no matter what course it is on and re-purpose it. His mercy never fails, and His faithfulness is always available.  He is never more than a prayer away to re-purpose a life, give it a new direction and a new route to follow until the end is reached.  all it takes is an act of faith in the work of Jesus on the cross. 

what holds you back from a "repurposed" life today?  a new purpose awaits on a path worth traveling.  you are never alone.  you are never to lost.  He always reroutes us back when He is our guide......

Jeremiah 29:11, Job 23:11, Matthew 7:13, Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:23, 1 Peter 5:8, Proverbs 22:6, Psalm 23:4, Proverbs 1:6, Colossians 1:10, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:16-17

healing and scars.....

healing...can be spiritual, physical, emotional, mental. it can take a few days, or it can take a lifetime. it can involve as little as a band aid and some ointment, it can be extensive surgeries, it can be hours and hours of therapy and medications, it can be many talks with a christian friend. it can be as close as a prayer, and as far as unbelief. healing is something some pursue, while others turn their backs on it.

it is hard to open up to the world those dark, hidden places within that we retreat to. we want to feel safe in our deep dark tunnels where we think we can't be hurt anymore. (so. not. true!) tunnels carved out of pain, heartache, loss and trauma. when we talk about these dark places we become vulnerable, i become vulnerable. well here i go.......

i have recently completed a bible study on healing what's hidden and have learned that for any deep emotional wound caused by a trauma to fully heal it must begin from within.  deep within. the healing must be totally complete in order for the scar tissue to form and hold. 

true trauma healing from the inside out will leave a permanent scar within.  these scars serve a purpose.  physical scar tissue can be rough, inflexible, painful, seen as unflattering and unwanted.  maybe you feel that way as a result of internal scars. i want to challenge you to think of your scars, whether physical or internal, as strengthening, protecting, a reminder of what not to repeat, a part of the beautiful person and soul God created you to be.  that each and every scar you carry, i carry, does not change how we are seen by God, does not change how much we are loved by God, does not change the purpose God created us for.  to touch the lives of others whom God loves with our stories of how He healed us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, spiritually, then how He heals our trauma tunnels internally. 

i have been forever changed by my traumas. but change isn't always a bad thing! am i completely how God originally designed me to be? no i am not, but my trauma scars add to the rich story that is my life. a life that has had it's share of good and bad.  results of my own poor and selfish choices. the constant in my life has always been my Lord and my faith in Him.  my help and my healing comes from my relationship with Jesus.  i gave my life to Him, acknowledging who He is; the son of the most High God, what He did; paid my sin debt which i could never pay on my own, who forgave my sins; past, present and future and loves me unconditionally.  this was the beginning of my healing and over my lifetime will continue until He calls me home to Heaven. 

He takes all that was and is bad in my life and uses it to His good and glory. yes, i signed the waiver and it's allowed! (attempt at humor, not very good at it!)  He shows me that in Him I am loved, forgiven by His great mercy, accepted as His child and my life has purpose and meaning.  has my journey to heal been accomplished? no-i am discovering that there are some things that have "surface" closure but need a bit more healing underneath so they can scar over once and for all.

so the process of re-opening a trauma wound, learning more about who i am today as a result of it and working with my Lord and those He leads me to, help me get the "gunk" out.  then i can fully make peace with my trauma, fully heal and scar over and move forward until my last breath.  then i will go home and be scar free for eternity with the One who bears His scars, willingly, for me........

James 5:16, John 14:6, Matthew 7:13-14, Acts 14:12, Psalm 121:1-2, Proverbs 17:22, Solomon 16:12, Psalm 119:50, John 14:7, 2Kings 20:5, Jeremiah 17:14, Psalm 34:18