I was excited to hear that one of our life groups is considering doing a study on the book, “When Helping Hurts” (by Steve Corbett), which is a standard text in the study of missions and outreach. The premise of this book is that helping people can actually do more harm than good if it isn’t done properly. For example, one of the key principles when administering aid to developing countries is to determine if the situation requires relief or development. When the 2010 earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, over 200,000 people were killed, one million were displaced from their homes, and the entire region was without access to food and water. That is a great example of when relief-style aid is needed. Without an immediate influx of organized help and supplies, many more would have perished.

However, it is important to transition quickly from relief to development. If relief continues indefinitely, dependency is fostered and people become crippled in their ability to function as a self-sustaining society. One simple example of this is the donation of free used clothing to countries in Africa who are not in need of relief. When boat loads of such goods are offered to the public it undermines the local economy, putting out of business native shop owners who would seek to manufacture and/or sell clothing. Sadly, such situations are constantly occurring in developing countries, and many times at the hands of well-meaning American Christians.

All of that provides a backdrop to an important announcement we are ready to make. We feel God is directing us to conclude the work of H.I.M. (Haitian International Missions) in 2016. Our goal was to transition the ministries and individuals we supported from relief to development to long-term self-sustainability. In the case of the Deaf/Disabled School, when we became aware of its existence the director feared they would have to close soon. With some financial support and oversight from Zacharie (H.I.M. director), we believe we were able to solidify the ministry somewhat and allow it to begin to develop the program further and plan for the future. One unintended side effect of this support was a reluctance of parents to pay for their children’s tuition. We feel the time is right now to discontinue outside financial support and allow the school director to reinvigorate the commitment of parents to the program, which has been improved through our development efforts.

As for Zacharie, when we began a relationship with him he had recently lost his job as a director of a high school and felt a call to enter seminary, but had no funding to make it possible. In a sense his family was in need of immediate relief, but the salary we offered him not only allowed him to provide for his family’s needs but also to develop his skills by attending seminary. He also provided some oversight and mentorship to the Deaf/Disabled School and other young college students we were supporting. After 2016 Zacharie’s salary will also be discontinued as he will be better equipped to find a job as pastor or school administrator (or both which is common in Haiti).

Though it is difficult to make these decisions to discontinue financial support to leaders and ministries in developing nations, it is absolutely essential for their spiritual and leadership growth. The worst-case scenario would be to create permanent dependency on outside funding. As a general rule, we believe it is this type of “help” (addressing developing situations as if they need relief) that continues to hold Haiti back from thriving and taking control of its own future.   Both because we felt the ministries and leaders of H.I.M. were ready, and because we ourselves will be transitioning to a different role in Haiti, we knew the time was right to make this step of faith.

We want to thank all those who have supported this ministry for this season, especially those who sponsored the children in the school. Please continue to pray for them and know that your investment in their lives will continue to make a difference. Above all, know that the discontinuation of H.I.M. is not a failure! Just the opposite. Though it was by no means carried out with perfection, we believe this type of medium-term approach to international aid (RELIEF – DEVELOPMENT – SUSTAINABILITY) is backed by biblical principles and best practices in missions. Let’s celebrate what God has done and may we all quickly find the next place where He is leading us to serve!

Cory Grimm

Many years ago as a young teenager, I witnessed an arm wrestling competition between a man and a woman. Both participants were people that I loved and cared for, were quite muscular, and just a little headstrong. I think the man had visions of an easy win over his female competitor, but that was not to be. The arena was set at a kitchen table in a modest farm house north of Hardwick. At the shout of “GO” both contestants tightened their grip and gave it their all. I don’t remember the exact timing, but the duel seemed to last for hours with clenched fists swaying first one way and then the other. When it seemed like the match would go on forever, the stronger opponent prevailed and SHE was declared the winner! Amidst the hoots and hollers, I remember the man laughing and asking for a bag to put over his head. Oh, the shame of being conquered by a girl! J

While this wrestling competition was all in fun and the winner walked away with a few bragging rights, and the loser had to hang his head for a short time, there are other battles in life where the stakes are much higher. In my Sunday School class with the 8-10th graders, we have been discussing another battle—a battle that rages in our mind. We have learned about the weapons that we fight with—prayer, God’s Word, the name of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; and how we must capture our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. This is not a new battle. The enemy has been waging war in our minds from the time of Adam & Eve through this present moment. The Bible is full of examples of people who have surrendered to the enemy in the battlefield of their mind. Even David, writes in Psalm 13:2, “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my mind?”

We read about another wrestling match in Genesis chapter 32. Jacob wrestles with his past and thoughts of his pending meeting with his estranged brother. Throughout the night he wrestles with a man, and even after having his hip disjointed, he will not withdraw from the match until he receives a blessing. In addition to the blessing he receives a new name, Israel, meaning “one who has struggled with God”. Jacob recognizes the blessing that he has received in coming face to face with God and having his life spared.

In one form or another, we can probably all relate to David or Jacob’s struggle with God and with ourselves. We wrestle with the whys of losing a child or an unfaithful spouse, a business venture that failed or an opportunity that didn’t pan out. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does the sun shine on the righteous and wicked alike? We struggle with exhausting all medical options, or letting nature run its course. Should we make the phone call, the visit; or should we mind our own business. How could this happen? What good could come of this?

I have been doing some wrestling of my own. Most of my conflicts are self-imposed guilt of should-haves and did-nots. I wrestle with fear, and pride, and being enough. Some days, I too would like to put a bag over my head and hide my spiritual weaknesses, but just like Jacob, I’m not letting go. I haven’t been given a new name, but there has been blessing and growth in the midst of the battle.

May it be said of us that even in our times of wrestling we are blessed to have come face to face with God, to have gained a new perspective, and to live a changed life. There is victory in Jesus!

Erin Jacobsma

It was quite the week here in Rock County! Tuesday if you were not inside, you were either pelted with snow or nearly blown to the Iowa border. God’s big world looked pretty small out my kitchen window that afternoon. As the driveway was being cleared on Wednesday morning and I was getting ready for work, Evan approached me and said his head hurt. Determining he had a headache to go along with the yucky cough he had developed, I gave him a little kiss on his forehead and continued to go about my business. A little bit later he was once again at my side. He looked at me with his big eyes and said “Mommy, I don’t feel good, will you snuggle with me?” It did not take much to convince me to sit down with him curled up next to me.

As I sat on the couch with my little man beside me, my mind began to wander to the things that had been hurting my heart this week. It seems like every time my phone rang the person on the other end was delivering sad news. Headlines of illnesses, death, and ongoing issues because of cancer seemed to take the front page all at once. As I sat there, I saw a picture of God looking down at me and my troubled heart just like I was looking at Evan finding comfort in my arms. So, as I sat there, I closed my eyes and called out, “Father, my heart is hurting, can I just sit here with you for a little while?” And that is just what I did.

I am currently working through a Jesus Calling Bible Study Series by Sarah Young with a friend. Part of the reading this week was this:

“Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life. These problems are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for your benefit and growth. Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them. View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me.

When you start to feel stressed, let those feelings alert you to dependence on Me and increasing intimacy between us. Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom. Thank Me for the difficulties in your life, since they provide protection from the idolatry of self-reliance.”

What a great reminder of how we are to lean on the Father in all things. He will walk us through our trials with the promise of us emerging the other side a stronger person who reflects the Master Himself.  2 Corinthians 1 was part of the message above. “⁸We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the trouble we experienced in Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God, who raises the dead.”

Even though I do not completely understand all that happened in my week, I know I can depend on my Creator for comfort, protection, and love. As the body of Christ, may it never be said of us that we were self-sufficient and did not rely on our Father in Heaven to provide all we needed. Let us not find happiness in things of this world, rather may we find joy in our sorrow and hope in our afflictions – all while resting in the arms of Jesus.

Becky Ossefoort

I recently read the 10th installment of Jan Karon’s Mitford series, “Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.” (available in ARC’s library). Father Tim, an Episcopal priest and the main character of the series, wrestles with a hard question in this book: Can human beings truly extend unlimited grace to others?

Let me explain how he arrived at that question. At the time of this book Father Tim is now about seventy years old, but as he approached sixty God interrupted his tidy, structured bachelor life with some major changes: the onset of diabetes, the adoption of an enormous dog, a beautiful woman moving next door who eventually became his wife, and the adoption of a young boy who had grown up in the back woods of North Carolina with his abusive father.

All of these events and many other adventures are detailed in the previous nine books, and along the way it became known that Father Tim’s adopted son Dooley had several other siblings who had been scattered around the country through the substance abuse and neglect of his parents. Over the course of many years they begin the difficult task of trying to track down Dooley’s brothers and sisters, but in some cases finding them only made things more difficult. This was especially true of Sammy.

Even after Sammy was removed as a teenager from the custody of his drunken Father, he still wasn’t free. He was overcome by anger and self-loathing, and the result was an inability to accept love from Father Tim and others in the community. Sammy began to lash out, breaking the pool cue he was given as a gift, defying the house rules with regard to smoking and chewing and cussing, and finally taking the beloved Mustang convertible for a joyride without permission that ended in the complete totaling of the vehicle.

After the accident Father Tim isn’t sure how to respond, and for the first time he finds himself really angry at Sammy. How is he supposed to show grace in this situation? When you don’t feel like showing grace do you just go through the motions anyway? He thinks,

“Grace may be a no-brainer for God, but for him it was clearly impossible to deliver. If mock grace was going to bring anything to the table, the heart must be kept free of malice. But how? Yank out the bitter weed, and in a flash, back it comes, and more of it.”

Do you have someone in your life you have been showing grace, but it doesn’t seem to work? Have you reached the end of your ability to show grace without feeling “malice” toward that person? I think Ephesians gives something of an answer to Father Tim’s dilemma: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore…” (Eph. 4:32-5:1a)

It is always good to remind ourselves of the extent to which God shows us grace through the cross but also on a daily basis. If He can do that for us, we can do the same for others, even when we don’t feel like it. No, we aren’t God, but we can be “imitators of God” and over time his incredible love will become our own. In the end we may discover that God is just as interested in changing our hearts as the people to whom we are trying to model His grace.

Cory Grimm

The melody on my cell phone came to life. In this present age of caller ID and unique ring tones, I didn’t have to wonder long who was trying to connect with me. It had been a while since we talked and I was eager to hear what was on her mind. As I said hello, I was greeted with a choked up voice and sniffles, and the words “I’m sorry I only call you when I need your help.” I assured her I was okay with that, however, I’m not sure she believed me. Regardless, she went on to share her struggle, pouring out her heart and tears, her frustrations and fears. I listened, my heart hurting for her. I tried to encourage her as best I could, and asked questions to help her process the situation, and we prayed to the only One who could make things right. I assured her I would continue to pray for her and her family and welcomed her to keep me informed.

As I pressed the button to end the call, I reflected on our relationship. I don’t remember when our friendship began or the circumstances that surrounded our first conversation, but she was correct in saying that most often when we talked there was some sort of need involved. The dynamics of our friendship are not about going to movies or shopping at the mall, but it is characterized by one mother’s heart hurting for another’s. And while she seemed to feel guilty about calling me with yet another concern, I have been blessed by sharing in the sufferings of a friend. I am happy that she trusts me enough to reach out to me when the going gets tough, but I wondered if she ever thought about me when her heart was filled with joy or when things in her life seemed to be manageable.

It was at that moment the Holy Spirit convicted my own heart; “I have wondered the same thing about you”. Ouch. Drops of remorse ran down my cheeks. Yes, there have been many times when I called on Jesus and confessed that I am sorry for how I have neglected our relationship. I have felt ashamed for presenting my problem to Him knowing full well our last conversation revolved around another problem I needed His help with. My only lame excuse is that I have been too busy or too lazy to talk to Him when I think I can handle things on my own. I am honestly thankful for the many blessings that are mine because of my relationship with Jesus and I delight in sharing my gratitude with Him, but my heart was heavy when I tried to remember the last time our visit focused on how much I love Him.

There’s an old song that goes “I just called to say I love you. I just called to say how much I care. I just called to say I love you, and I mean it from the bottom of my heart”. Is that a love song you could sing to Jesus? Do you look forward to talking to Him just to share how much you love Him, or do you just call to tell Him what you need? May it not be said of us that we are only interested in having a relationship with Jesus because of what He can do for us, but instead to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Forgive me, Jesus, when I have treated you like my magic wand instead of the love of my life!

Erin Jacobsma

One thing I enjoy about meeting new people is listening to their stories. Often times at the checkout counters of various shopping places I will play the undercover boss and ask the cashier if they enjoy what they are doing, or if the place they are working is a good place to work. And then if I have enough time and the cashier doesn’t seem totally annoyed by me, I like to ask this zinger: Do you feel you are fulfilling the purpose for which God created you?

I’ve also discovered that asking that question will get all kinds of reactions, all the way from “I don’t have a purpose” to a frustrated cashier I recently encountered who replied, “That was a stupid question.” To which I loving replied, “Then I guess that’s a no?”

And how about you, would you say you are fulfilling the purpose for which God created you? Not sure? I guess before you can answer that question, you’d have to know the answer to these questions? Do you believe God created mankind with a purpose? And if so, what is it?

Now, I realize most people really don’t care if they fulfill the purpose for which God created them, but if you are one of those people who aren’t clear about your purpose and would like to know, I am inviting you to join us at the Purposeful Living Retreat this weekend. The retreat is right here at ARC on Friday night, January 15 from 7:00-9:30 and Saturday, January 16 from 8:30-2:30.

The Purposeful Living Retreat is a personal renewal process designed to allow you to hear God speak into your life and bring focus to how you live. Out of this process will emerge God’s unique calling on your life which will be helpful in aligning yourself more closely with God’s plan.

Although our purpose is the same, our calling will be different. And just to help you get an idea of what you can expect from the retreat I am sharing my purpose and calling statement with you.

MY PERSONAL CALLING STATEMENT

My Biblical Purpose Statement: “I exist to glorify God through a fully surrendered life which is reflected in devotion to loving him and others.”

My Core Values:

Knowing God – He desires a love relationship with me; apart from him I can do nothing.

Integrity–Desiring to become all that God created me to be, I seek to engage my mission field full of grace and truth.

Fishing for men – I am always looking for an opportunity to recruit someone to experience the joy of community life in the kingdom of God.

Discipleship – I desire to help people grow in living and loving like Jesus.

Leadership development – I will strive to help identify, equip, and empower others to become spiritual leaders.

Prayer – I will seek to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit as he releases his power in my life and in this world.

Life-long learning – I will do whatever it takes to become more faithful and fruitful. I will explore and develop the use of my spiritual gifts and talents.

My Personal Mission Statement: “My mission is to help those in my circle of influence discover that peace with God can only be found in an intimate relationship with Christ which is lived out through a lifestyle of joyful worship and faithful service in preparation for heaven.”

For more details about the retreat, or to sign up, please feel free to contact me by Tuesday, January 12. May God give you the desire to fulfill the purpose for which He created you. It’s not a stupid question!

Thy kingdom come,

Mike Altena

I popped in a favorite Christmas CD the other day while I was putting away a few Christmas items. As one song led to another, I was once again caught by the chorus of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. For years I have sang this song without giving it much thought. The song speaks of Israel’s plea to have the promised Savior sent to lead them out of the darkness they were experiencing. The version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel on my CD is by Matt Maher and a refrain has been added to its original version and it tends to grab my heart and make my eyes moisten each time I hear it. As the beat picks up and the music dynamics increase the words go like this:

Rejoice, again, I say, rejoice

For unto us is born the Savior of the World

Take heart, oh weary soul, take heart

For help is on its way

And Holy is His name

Like those in Israel, we too experience much darkness here in our modern world and it leaves us crying out to our Father. Each night the news media seems to flash pictures of sadness, grief, and evil in front of us. While there are some stories that contain happy endings, they seem to be few and far between. We could probably argue about how the news media does not show the “good stuff” and I do believe we are often neglected of positive stories. Yet, God has put us in this culture of darkness and has asked us to care for it, no matter how big of a job it seems. There is good news though. He has revealed the ending of His Story, and help is on its way!

At the Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve, Mike challenged us to walk into the darkness and shine our light. This may be intimidating to many, but as followers of Christ, it really shouldn’t be. God has equipped each of us with His gift of the Holy Spirit to do His work here in this broken world. As we encounter the darkness, He asks us to engage with our neighbor, care for the down and out, and even love our enemy.

Jesus gives us some instructions when shining our light in Matthew 5. ⁴⁴“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be children of your Father in heaven…⁴⁶If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”

May it never be said of us here at ARC that we only engaged with fellow believers within the church walls. Rather, as we walk into the darkness may we joyfully encounter all those we find, no matter what they look like, who they are, or where they have been. May our light shine love, grace, and truth on our neighbor, but most of all, the hope that can only come from our Savior.

Becky Ossefoort

This past Sunday night after the children’s Christmas program, Vicki sat down to watch the Miss Universe Pageant. After the pageant was over Vicki shared with me the mistake that Steve Harvey made in announcing the wrong winner. Naturally my heart was filled with empathy for both Miss Colombia and Steve Harvey.

As I reflected on the story I tried to put myself in each of the shoes of those who were impacted by Harvey’s mistake. First I put myself in the shoes of Mr. Harvey and discovered they fit quite comfortably. See, although slightly different; I could easily identify with Harvey because you all know how many times I have called a person by the wrong name. (I will be forever indebted to AJ and Mary Brands and their sons).

I can only imagine the dark feelings of shame and embarrassment that likely washed over Harvey when he realized his mistake. And having made those kinds of blunders myself, I wondered if he immediately began concocting ideas in his mind of how to cover up his bungle in order to salvage his good name. But in the end I appreciated his simple humility in that he admitted his mistake and apologized to Miss Colombia.

Then I tried to put myself in Miss Colombia’s shoes. I began to imagine her feelings of shock after realizing the error was no prank. What, was she having a bad dream, or worse yet a nightmare? I imagined the feelings of jubilation and victory drain from her heart as quickly as the air escaping from an untied balloon.

And then I imagined the shock turning to anger; were her initial thoughts towards Harvey, “What, you incompetent idiot, how could you do this to me”? But not so with her, after stepping back and carefully processing the offense, Ariadna Gutierrez chose the better response by accepting Harvey’s apology with love and grace. In fact, when Ariadna was asked how she felt about the experience, part of her response was that she just cherished the few minutes she was Miss Universe. What a powerful response!

Next I put myself in the shoes of the world-wide audience and tried to imagine all the responses; responses ranging from “who really cares” to “Steve Harvey should be severely punished for his epic failure.” As I read a variety of ugly responses to Harvey’s mistake, I was reminded of how many people have yet to experience healing from such kinds of injustices in their own lives. As I continued to reflect on my own thoughts towards Harvey and Miss Columbia, the Spirit reminded me of the powerful truth from I Peter 4:8, “Above all love each other deeply because love covers a multitude of sins.”

And then finally I put myself in the shoes of Miss Philippines who wrongfully discovered she has lost, but then surprisingly and correctly was declared the winner. Imagine her roller coaster ride of emotions; first sinking deeply into disappointment but then immediately being resurrected by feelings of overwhelming joy and gratitude.

The experience for Pia Alonzo had to be much like that of Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus. At first struggling with the deep disillusionment and disappointment of the loss of Jesus’ on the cross, their hearts were soon overcome with joy when the Holy Spirit opened their eyes to see that Jesus had in fact defeated sin and death.

This story offers two possible resolutions for the New Year. First, make the choice to always love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. And secondly, when you chose to allow Christ to live his life through you, you will always win!

Happy New Year! Mike Altena

As promised a couple of weeks ago when we made our announcement, I want to use this space to explain a little bit more about what my family and I will be doing as missionaries in Haiti. First of all, I should apologize for the way some of you found out about this change. I explained it briefly in worship on November 29, but those who weren’t at church that Sunday found out either through the grapevine or by vague references in worship on following Sundays. That wasn’t an ideal way to spread the news, but hopefully after reading this article everyone will know what is going on.

Just to review a little bit, over the past year and a half we were in discussions with both the RCA and CRC World Missions departments about possibly serving in Haiti in the future. A couple of months ago a position opened up through the CRC, who have maintained a permanent presence in Haiti for over 25 years. One of the two families serving there will leave in the summer of 2016, and a replacement was needed. They invited us to apply for the position. After a lot of discussion and prayer we felt led by God to accept the position and begin raising missionary support at the start of the New Year. Our goal will be to move to Haiti in the summer of 2016, and I plan to continue working at ARC until that time while raising funds on the side.

Sous Espwa “Source of Hope” is the Creole name of CRC’s ministry in Haiti. From that platform the ministry partners with a network of Christian schools, Haitian CRC churches, Back to God publications and broadcasts, and several other new and existing programs. My role will be “Consultant for Leadership Development and Youth.” I will be involved in Timothy leadership training, organizing a national network of Impact Groups, “Street Psalms” (a cutting-edge urban ministry model), and various other duties as assigned. The main office is in Port-au-Prince, but my role will require some travel in Haiti and occasionally internationally for conferences, etc…

Our family will live and work in Port-au-Prince (population 3 million+ if you include the slums and suburbs), which will be an adjustment from the quiet little village where we once lived in Haiti. However, educational opportunities for our kids will be much stronger, and we look forward to interacting more with Haitian people who are national leaders in ministry and other sectors of society.   Lynn will focus mainly on bringing stability and direction to our home life, which is a big job in Haiti where daily tasks can be a bigger deal. She may also be involved at times in the ministry of Sous Espwa.

THE FUTURE OF H.I.M.- Right now we are weighing options regarding Haitian International Ministries, which is essentially a branch of ARC. We will bring a recommendation to the consistory soon and will keep you all informed of the future of that ministry effort. Please continue to pray for Zacharie as well as the leaders and students at the deaf/disabled school.

The next year will be quite a journey for us, but also for the ARC family, as this chapter in our lives gradually draws to close and a new chapter begins. We are so thankful for your investment in us as we have served here, and we look forward to continuing the relationship in the years ahead. We hope to see the adventurous ones among you come down to visit us some day, and we will return every few years to see all of you again. We know God has a great plan for all of us in the future, and we look forward to daily discovering what that will be!

Cory Grimm

Recently I discovered hardwood floors under my less than beautiful carpet. What a prize! I couldn’t wait to start the project of making them beautiful again. I started by ripping up all the carpet and then moving half of my house into the other half of my house – not a fun way to live! The process really began to take shape after I sanded for hours with a machine that weighed as much as my car. (A seat and a steering wheel would have made the process a lot more enjoyable!) After the sanding step, the biggest transformation took place as I applied the stain. The color went from a light, raw wood to a rich, dark walnut. I was tempted to stop there, but I trudged on. After crawling through three rooms on my hands and knees nine times, the final coat was finally left to dry. The result? Floors that look like a million bucks!

As I crept across the floor, I noticed all the little imperfections; scratches, dents, and dings from who knows what. They remain because I could not bring myself to sand them out. After all, if these marks could talk, they would tell me the story of my little house on the hill. Thinking of all this drew my mind to my own history. The story of my life is really not all that different than the story of my restored floors.

When I was born my parents thought I was perfect, yet the seed of sin was planted deep within me. As I grew and journeyed through life, I was tempted by sin. This left marks of regret, shame, and guilt deep inside my heart. The story of my life has not always been easy, sometimes it was not much fun, and other times it downright hurt. I recall feeling very insignificant in God’s big world and was left wondering what the purpose of my life would be. One day when I was completely broken and on my knees, the story took a turn and suddenly flaws of the past began to tell the story of my restoration in Christ.

In Isaiah 61, it speaks of God’s plan to deliver and restore His people with His Son, Jesus. Verse 3 tells us Jesus would “…provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

As I glance back at the different chapters of my life, the pages in this story have turned from sadness to happiness, sorrow to joy. With each scuff I know my Savior has healed, taught, and comforted me while I walked through the valley. I see where he carried me, lifted me up, and met me on the mountain top. Each little mark has turned into the beautiful character God wants me to be. These bumps and dings are not meant to be forgotten or covered up, rather shared as a testimony of God’s love, faithfulness, and deliverance.

What’s your story?

Becky Ossefoort