Love, Celebrate It!

In ten days I will look at my second born daughter and cry tears of wonder and joy while giving thanks and praise to God. Why will I do this? Because in ten days it will be one year since she came home out of an abusive situation. One year that seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.

One year ago this now healthy whole woman of God came home literally smelling like death. Today she laughs free and smiles true as she works at a new job and fishes whenever she can. God's goodness and healing have brought about amazing changes, positive growth, and maturity. Has it truly been only one year?

These changes and growth didn't automatically happen though. My Victory girl has to make deliberate, intentional decisions to live differently and communicate openly every day. Time and time again she has to war against former habits of thought. Occasionally flashbacks intrude, and physical weariness is an almost constant companion. Living isn't always easy, but it is worth the fight.

Eleven months ago Victory made a choice. She looked death full in the face and chose life, even when living required a surrendering of former ways of doing and thinking, even when the new was so very very hard to do. Victory Woman chose life, God's life.

She chooses God still. Day after day this rapidly maturing woman of God walks through the daily temptations of life with a large family and the challenges of chronic fatigue. With remarkable calm she chooses the stillness of silence over anger's snarl or graciously listens instead of flinging mocking sarcasm. Daily in many ways she still chooses life over death.

In ten days I will remember the beginning of this journey my daughter began. I will remember, and I will cry. Great tears of gratitude to God for all He has done will fall from my eyes in a thankful flood. As tears flood my eyes, praise will flood my heart. And through it all a song will play. It is a song I've been learning this past year, a song that has always been in my heart waiting for me to hear. A melody rich and sweet that will flow in a beautiful river of love for my Lord.

The choices are not over; they never are. Every day they are there waiting on each of us to choose. The decisions are ours to make. They won't decide themselves. As we enter a new day, a new season, a new year, what will we do? Which will we choose? Will we choose to be honest, loving, wise? Or will we choose easy, foolish, deceit? Will we choose God? Or will we choose human logic instead? Will we choose kind over right? Love over religion? Will we choose life or will we choose death?

One year from now when we look back what will we see? What will our hearts remember? What will we have learned of real? What will others have learned of us? The answers are not yet known, but the decisions that determine those answers will be made today.

Many years ago a man named Joshua stood before a group of people and presented them with a choice. It is this choice, along with Joshua's decision, I leave with you today. It is the choice and decision Victory Woman made almost one year ago. It is the choice of all choices and the decision of all decisions.

"Choose you this day whom you will serve...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Will you choose life?
Abundantly Blessed