Page One: Prologue

I love to write. I've found it to be my outlet in an otherwise full life. My prayer is always that anything I write will glorify the Lord, and that He would direct the people of His choosing to read it, and that He would use my life experiences that I share here, to draw others closer to Him.

The wonderful thing about blogging is that people can come and go as the Lord leads them, move on with no pressure when it doesn't speak to them, or read it again and again if it does. I hope you'll stick around for this one....

"My life is an open book"

I've heard that said many times, but I'm convinced that it's usually a lie. Our human nature is to close the pages of our lives that we don't wish others to know about. To pick and choose what others read. To hide the parts of our story that don't flatter us. To place a fig leaf over our sin.

I've wrestled with that for most of my life. See, by nature, I'm a "people pleaser", wanting to please and impress the people around me with all I say and do, and hide the things they wouldn't like. When I was very young, my parent's and family's opinion of me was what mattered the most. As time went on, I added teachers, and friends, and boys to the list of people to impress. Eventually it was a boss and co-workers, followed by my husband. Along the way somewhere I discovered that people also thought it was important to please God. So I tried to do that too, but my focus was more often on trying to please and impress the people that thought it was important, like family, and my pastor, and Sunday school teachers, and other "Christians".

Everyone on the list was impressed by different things and I was trying to be them all. Some were more difficult than others to please, so I added more effort. To please one, I might disappoint another... so I did my best to keep those things hidden. I covered them with lies. Then I worked hard to live up to those lies in order that they might be believable. Sometimes I convinced them. Sometimes I even convinced myself. But at the end of the day, I didn't know who I was, for I was being pulled in every direction. I was working so hard to be the "right" thing to everyone in my life.

I was tired.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Jesus. ~Matthew 11:28

Today my soul is at rest in the arms of my Savior, and He has asked me to open the pages of my story that I have kept hidden for so long.... so that perhaps you also might rest.

If the Lord has led you here, I pray you will choose to return and join me on a journey through the hidden pages of my story, as I prayerfully take the time to share them.... one page at a time.


Growing in the Truth:

Read Genesis 3: 4-8.

We may try to hide our own sin and disobedience under a fig leaf of lies or good deeds, but our own eyes see the truth. We are afraid and we hide. God's response is, "who has told you?" For He already knew. He is not unaware of our sin, or of our need to be covered.

Read Genesis 3:21

Jesus is our tunic, and He has clothed us in His grace, mercy, truth, and love.


To read the rest of my testimony please visit me at www.mydailysurrender.blogspot.com.