Thursday, December 8, 2011

Journey of Faith Friday: No Orphans of God


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No Orphans of God

We had been dating 8 months with the last one being the toughest.  On various occasions we had both privately questioned if it was time to end our relationship.  I had just decided to quit my full time job as an outpatient Physical Therapist, because I was questioning many aspects of my career and my passions.  I was a few days shy of my last day of work when we headed to my hometown for a weekend celebration.  

Sam had met my family several times, so there was no stress in that regard.  However, I always arrived at my granny's early to assist with meal preparation, table set up, etc. for our annual cookout.  Having spent endless hours working to identify my stress "triggers" and how to appropriately set reasonable expectations, you would think the weekend would have been something I was EXCITED about.  However, I was over stressed for no good reason.  


The unexplained stress spilled over into my conversations with Sam and by the end of the weekend, it was obvious that he was frustrated and at the end of his rope.  We spent an uncomfortable 2 hours driving back to Lexington and once he was out of the car, a number of our exchanged words during the past 48 hours flooded my mind.  


I spent the few days sick.......literally........heart sick.  After a few emails I was sure our relationship was over.  One positive thing (among others), it had forced me to identify the reasons why I wanted our relationship to work.  To make a long story short we worked through several issues over the next several days and by the grace of God, our relationship continued.  

I can't remember the time frame, but some time later we were in the car and the song "Orphans of God" by Avalon was playing.  Sam shared that he heard that song during the week of our near break up and it helped him to focus more on my character and desire to change versus my current shortcomings and flaws.

Who here among us has not been broken
Who here among us is without guilt or pain
So oft’ abandoned by our transgressions
If such a thing as grace exists
Then grace was made for lives like this

There are no strangers
There are no outcasts
There are no orphans of God
So many fallen, but hallelujah
There are no orphans of God

....................

O blessed Father, look down upon us
We are Your children, we need Your love
We run before Your throne of mercy
And seek Your face to rise above



WOW, am I forever thankful that the same grace of God that fills my life, fills the life of the man who is now my husband.  

We all have been broken.  In one way or another.

We all have been guilty.  We all have experienced pain.

We have all been left empty by the sin in our own lives.

We ALL NEED the GRACE of GOD!!!

Keep approaching His throne of grace and He will help you in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16)

It may not look the way you had imagined, but if you belong to Him, you are not an orphan.  God is your Father and will love you no matter what.

This is a lesson I am learning more and more every day. 
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Read previous Journey of Faith Friday posts.

Every Friday, I post about the work God is doing or has done in my life, as I journey on this road of faith.

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8 comments:

Ashley Sisk said...

This really speaks to my heart because I think we've all been there - great message.

Gina Kleinworth said...

So well said Amber- and just what I needed to be reminded of right now. Things I am struggling with keep taking me to places I don't want to be- but this message keeps coming back to me (today it was through your post) & keeps pulling me back to where I need to be to work through it.

Anonymous said...

beautifully written..

Amy said...

What a great post! Thanks for sharing!

Amy @ Missional Mama

Carolina said...

What an incredibly touching post. I almost cried when playing the song and was very touched by the words... Thank you for sharing dear friend!

Ross said...

What a fantastic song and post! It brings up waves of emotion because of all I'm going through right now. It reminds me that I serve an awesome God and that he'll be there for me through anything!

Rosie Nixon Fluerty said...

That is such a beautiful journey to write about Amber and I love the words of that song.

Unknown said...

I left a comment on this the other day but it looks like it didn't stick... I love this song (anything by avalon actually) and appreciate you sharing your heart!