Through the Years

I've been thinking a lot this week about my early years in light of the resurfacing of Jaycee Dugard. She is the same age as me. She has been away from her family for over half of her life. I cannot even imagine what it would be like to have missed the last 18 years of my life as I know it.

• 6th through 12th grade
• driver's permit and driver's ed
• driver's license
• proms
• first kiss
• high school graduation
• college
• first job, second job, third job and all of the others
• first car
• first love
• first apartment
• first house
• the first time I lost someone close to me
• first heartbreak
• first speeding ticket
• first fender-bender - and then some!

I wouldn't know the people that I know. I wouldn't have had any of the same experiences that I have had. Not that every part of my life has been sugar and spice and everything nice. In fact, if things had been different they might have been better - but they could have been a lot worse, too.

There is a wonderful book that I read recently called "The Shack" (if you haven't, I recommend taking the time to read it!) In the book, God, called Papa, is talking to Mack about the terrible things that have happened and said this: "just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn't mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don't ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I needed it to accomplish my purposes."

I am so thankful, in retrospect, for the challenges that God has used in my life to bring me to today. All of the bad choices that I made were still used by God for His glory. Through those challenges he has equiped me with a unique history and I am so excited at the prospect of Him using my past to help someone else avoid the same future. Don't misunderstand, I have by no means arrived at some spiritual plateau. Life is a journey, not a destination! I just mean to say that I am thankful that God has gently brought me back to a relationship with Him. It's a daily, hourly, minute-by-minute journey but it is so exhilarating to know that God is right here beside me every step of the way!