BEAUTY FOR ASHES

He makes everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV).


Recently I met a middle aged woman who shared her excruciatingly painful past with me.Lana survived years of sexual molestation by her father and her two older brothers. Eventually, her mother divorced, re-married and moved out of the country leaving her young daughter behind.

At age twelve, Lana became a ward of the court and was placed in a foster home. She was moved to five different foster homes in one year. Finally she ran away and learned how to survive on the street, selling and using drugs as well as engaging in prostitution. 

For years she continued to suffer feelings of hurt and abandonment. At twenty-one she worked as a bartender/waitress in a small pub. A patron of that establishment, introduced her to Jesus, the meaning of the cross and the steps to salvation. It took a few more years for her to understand how to walk like a disciple of our Savior.

At the present time, her body is racked with painful conditions left over from the past. But, her soul and her spirit are healed and she walks through life in peace with great joy. God has obviously called her to be a prayer warrior and a witness of his saving grace.

Occasionally I drive her to doctor appointments or grocery store runs. We never leave a physician’s office or a store without  her stopping to witness or pray for someone. She jotstheir names down and promises to continue to pray for them. And she keeps that promise.

Prayer: Father thank you for this Godly woman. Her witness reminds me that difficult circumstances in my own life often prepare me to be an understanding witness of  Your grace.

© Christy Struben 2016