Stepping into the Light
A song has been playing on repeat in my head for the last few weeks. It has moved me to tears, to laughter, to rejoicing every time I hear it:
“I have a hope. I have a future. I have a destiny that is yet awaiting me. My life’s not over. A new beginning’s just begun. I have a hope!”
These lyrics by Tommy Walker land on me in a powerful way these days.
A year ago I felt that it was time to share my testimony. I didn’t feel ready to share because I still felt too broken and ashamed to admit that I struggled with addiction. I still felt covered up by the pain and the despair of the reality that my relationship with food is a broken one. But in the middle of that pain, I still knew that God’s promise was true for me, that he can make all things new. Even the most broken part of me can be made new.
Something changed after I began to share my story of healing from addiction. Through sharing, it was as if I was stepping into a bright light. Now I no longer have to hide or struggle alone. I’m finding freedom from my old patterns of sin, and am being made new. I’m being filled with hope that even though I struggle, I am not lost; I am not forgotten. I am still worthy and capable of receiving grace.
The question has been asked the last few Sundays, "What does the resurrection mean for me?” For me it means that I have joy in the middle of my struggles; that because of Christ’s death and resurrection I no longer have to be weighed down with shame. I can be free from sin, free from addiction, free from being stuck in my current reality. I have assurance that this isn’t it for me, and that I have a future that is being revealed to me now. I’m on a journey. I haven’t arrived, but I can see the light. It’s breaking through every day in my life.
So, as I dance like a fool in the kitchen with my kids and sing “I have a hope” at the top of my lungs, I am reminded of the overwhelming love that my Father has shown me. I don’t have to be ashamed because he takes me as I am, and he is using me to testify of his amazing grace. And for this reason, I have hope, I have a future. I have a destiny, and it starts now!!!
During the season of Eastertide our church is celebrating testimonies (stories) of how Jesus has brought resurrection–new life–into our corporate and individual lives. This storytelling gives glory to God and spreads the gospel (1 Peter 2:9). You can find more stories by searching social media for the hashtag #thisisthelife. Read more about Heather’s testimony of healing and faith on her blog: http://ohbabybopthebeep.blogspot.com/
