However, over the years, I've also written a lot of pieces that I'm proud of, enjoyed writing, or was just happy to share with the world. Here's a piece that I was just happy to share with the world because I'm thankful to be where I'm at now in my life.
I shared this on September 21st, 2014 on one of the attempted blogs I mentioned. It's a bit of my personal testimony. I hope you enjoy it, and even more, that you're encouraged.
TimeHop is an app that I both admire and despise for its ability to make me recall things from my past. I admire it because I love seeing how far the Lord has brought me and how much I’ve grown over the years, and just like anyone, I love remembering the good ol’ days. But I despise it because it’s also a constant reminder of the things I don’twant to remember; things that I’ve tried to move on from for years, which kind of puts a damper on that whole Philippians 3:13 thing. You know…forgetting what’s behind and pressing on towards what’s ahead.
I’m not a fan of living in the past. I think that the past can be a nice place to visit but is a terrible place to live, good or bad.
Even so, I haven’t deleted the app off of my phone yet, and so, here I am. And according to TimeHop, four years ago today, I posted this:Apparently, I was not very happy with Christians that day. I couldn’t tell you the exact reason for why I posted that, but I do happen to know that four years ago this week I had a major turning point in my life. The worst year of my life was coming to a close, and while some things had gotten better on the outside, inside I was still a wreck.
At this point four years ago, every time I’d tried to use alcohol or people to mask anything, it just made me feel more weighted down and depressed. I needed a high, so I went to a drug-user I knew who worked at a coffee shop I frequented, and told them that I wanted to try marijuana; that I wanted to just relax, forget everything about my life, and feel better. So four years ago this upcoming weekend, I got high for the first and only time in my life, and you know what? It was great! I got exactly what I was looking for that night: I felt relaxed, peaceful, happy, carefree…and for one night, I wanted that lifestyle to be mine.
Up until that point, I had been ignoring God’s voice any way I could for quite some time. I never stopped believing God, and I never denied what I knew to be true. I was just really, really unhappy. Unhappy with myself, unhappy with my life, and unhappy with people.
That next day I awoke to the sun shining through the window, and in the silence of the morning, the Holy Spirit asked me a simple question. He wasn’t angry; there was only love in His soft voice as He whispered, “Brittany…was that better than Me?”
Of course, the answer was no.
I cried, I repented, I knew things would be different from then on, and they were. I won’t lie: I still had some rough moments the rest of that year as I transitioned into a new, uncharted season of my life. But the answer to God’s question that day was, is, and always will be “no.”
Nothing on this earth could ever satisfy me, or anyone else, the way He can.
Not people, position, power or wealth.
Not entertainment, sex, drugs or alcohol.
Not a job, an education, family, church involvement or doing good deeds.
Not social causes, activism, social media, experiences or the American Dream.
We were all made by Him and for Him, and because of that, we all will only ever be truly satisfied IN Him.
While four years ago, I may have been mad at Christians, the truth is that people and church were not the cause of my issues; I was. Sure, the enemy was too – oh, how he hates us all so. But at the end of the day, I made a lot of poor choices. I can never deny that.
But oh, the beauty of surrendering oneself to the Most High.
Jesus truly pulled me out of my self-made pit of despair, destruction and chaos. He gave me clarity, true peace, and true freedom, and He made this broken girl so very whole again. He can and will do the same for you; in fact, He wants to!
No matter where you’ve been, where you are, what you’ve done or what you’re doing…He created you, and He loves and wants you more than you could ever imagine! But the choice to respond to His love is yours, and only yours. His offer will be on the table until you breathe your last breath, but why wait? Why settle for anything less than the very best? The best doesn’t mean easy. Oh, it definitely won’t be easy…but it’s worth it.The good news is, He doesn’t expect perfection from any of us. He just wants a willing heart.
So whether you know Him, have walked away from Him, or have never considered Him before, come to Jesus. Just as you are, come to Him. He’ll give you the rest, the peace, the clarity, and the freedom you so crave.
And you’ll never thirst again. Because nothing quenches the soul quite like Living Water…
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