Friday, February 12, 2010

A Thin Place Discovered

Following is my submission for Thin Places kindle contest.



“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13

One summer I attended a Billy Graham crusade at the Los Angeles Coliseum. I went alone and sat in the nose bleed row so my cigarette smoke would not be noticed. The top row was my fig leaf because I wanted to hide from God too. Besides if God was really there He would reach me no matter how high I sat. I defied Reverend Graham to touch me with Truth. The invitation was given and I tried to force myself to feel something. I watched as hundreds of people moved toward the stage and remember thinking if I, a Christian, didn’t feel anything, then how could my salvation be real? I turned aside and entered the wide gate to destruction.

That one act sent my life on a downward spiral of alcohol co-dependency, divorce, abortion, anxiety and worry. I was an empty clay pot, severely cracked. Since that time I have found my way back to God and His mercy. Through His love and grace He is using my botched attempts at doing it my way as teaching tools on how not to live. Also, reliving my past helps me discover a new thin place where His “living water” never fails.

“And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places,…and you will be like a watered garden…a spring of water whose waters do not fail” Isaiah 58:11a. 


Carma

8 comments:

  1. Very powerful flash truth, Carma. What a world this would be if everyone not only believed in God, but followed his Word!

    Great post.

    Karen

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  2. God never gives us more than we can handle. You made it through and are better for it. I am glad.

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  3. Yes Karen, what a world indeed. The reward outweighs the effort.

    Thank you for your comment.

    Carma

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  4. Kristi, although I know there were times when that thought did not comfort me but as you say I made it through and am the better for it.

    thanks for you comment

    Carma

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  5. Carma...to steal the words from Karen (since as I clicked to leave a comment the word powerful popped into my head)...Wow! Powerful essay. The grace of God is all around us if we would let it in.

    Many blessings,
    Donna

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  6. Wow. Interesting how God shows us those moments in retrospect. Thanks for sharing your story.

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  7. Donna, I like the way you said that. If we let it in. Our free will is our demise and our salvation. Thanks.

    Carma

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  8. Mary, thank you. God is using retrospect to show me many, many aha moments. God's timing is never late.


    Carma

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