“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Cor.5:17
Celia and I met in 1994. I remember the day she walked into dispatch and started work with me. I was working the police channel and was very, very pregnant with my son David. She walked in wearing a long skirt and peasant blouse. I thought she was so pretty. The gals in our radio room weren’t very nice to her. Actually, they weren’t very nice to anybody. I befriended Celia and we became close friends, best friends.
To set up the story accurately, in 1994 Celia was not walking wholly with the Lord back then, and neither was I. I found Celia’s obnoxiously bossy ways, loud mouth and even bigger heart a joy to be around. During many heartaches in my life, she was the one that drug me to church, she was the one that gave me a Bible that I actually read, she was the one who was slowly being made into the godly woman that I so often seek counsel from.
If you had told me fourteen years ago that she would be speaking at a Christian women’s conference at Mt. Hermon, before 350 women. I would have laughed.
But friends, this is the God we serve.
It reminds me of the saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him the plans you have for your life.” When you surrender your life to Him, you can’t dream dreams big enough for what he has planned for you.
God takes our old lives, our mistakes and misteps and makes them ALL new again. Her life is a walking testimony of how the Lord loves to pick up His children, dust them off, and send them upon the straight path towards the blessings He has stored up for each one of us.
Please pray for my dear friend Celia, she is speaking this evening. I know the women are going to be blessed by her message to them. Celia is transparent, so very funny and the type of Christian woman that you desire to hangout with, all the time! I know these women will just love her like I do.
And for any of you out there who may read this post. Those of you who may feel like you are a walking failure, or a hyprocrite or just too old to change or too dirty to be made clean, God wants to dust you off too. He is waiting for the chance to make your life whole again. He has so much in store for you.
God took the bossyness of my friend and turned that trait into leadership. He took her loud mouth and turned that into a gift of speaking. He took her even bigger heart and turned it towards hurting women.
Rest in the words above, in Christ, He makes all things new.
This means you too.
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