100-Word Stories

The really cool thing is when we surrender and He works through us as vessels and tools in His hands. Hiking with the women last weekend allowed interaction with some who have yet to know Christ. Sitting at the taco table, one of the ladies shared that she was a transcendentalist. Asking her to help me understand what that was like for her allowed me to share about Jesus: relationship, not religion! She spoke about the beauty of the creation being her temple, we talked about the Creator. Seeds planted! Opportunities everywhere! Listening always to hear and not to respond but to follow the Holy Spirit 🙂

Six amazing years as a missionary in Spain ended as God brought 1 Timothy 5:8 to my attention. Spain was a double blessing, yet all my daughters moved to Texas and my family began to grow. After much prayer, a 10-month furlough in Austin through COVID, and a connection with ADRN; I finished my last year in Spain June of 2021 and moved to Austin. By the grace of God, doors opened wide for housing, work, and community! There is never a lack of places to serve God… Jesus says “Follow me!”

Me: flying coach, middle seat. Nudge: Open your Bible. Me: But I don’t want to start a nine-hour discussion. Nudge: Open your Bible. Me: But I spent all morning studying Daniel, and can’t absorb another word. Nudge: Open your Bible. Me: Okay. Immediately, Man to my right: “Hi, I’m Daniel.” Me pointing to my open bible: “Do you spell it like this?” Man: “Yep” Me: “Hi, I’m Audrea.” Man: “I’m flying to Rome to pick up my mother’s body. She died there on vacation. I don’t want to talk; just need sleep.” Me: “I’ve got your back!” Glad I obeyed! It’s a joy to have been used.

Through the sobs I heard my son say “Mom, we lost Story.” Two weeks before her due date. No longer breathing in my daughter-in-love’s tummy. God, why? Before the delivery and seeing her lifeless body, God lovingly gave me a perfectly clear vision of a baby girl. Dressed in white. Brown eyes and hair. Smiling. Assurance that our Story Grace wasn’t lost at all. Exactly where she was supposed to be….in her Heavenly Father’s house. All the days ordained for Story were written in His Book of Life before even one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). Still grieving, but feeling grateful knowing Story’s story is God’s perfectly-authored masterpiece.

His ways are perfect. Not always easy, and not always peaceful, but always perfect. Throughout my life’s journey, I have not always chosen the “right” path as God allowed me to walk through some dark days. Those days taught me so much about His love for me and His will for my life. I can look back and see His hands at work in all the good times and difficult ones. This is why His ways are perfect, because everything that we go through always brings us back to the love and mercy and grace of our loving Heavenly Father!

Before following Christ I was a people-pleaser, living for the approval of others. However, finding it never led to fulfillment. In that void I sought to escape, medicating myself through pornography and binge eating. And yet in my darkest moment, Christ offered me grace, demonstrating His love for sinners like me. In following Jesus, I’m learning that I’m loved, accepted, and treasured by my Heavenly Father. I’m learning that His is the only approval that I need. In Him, I’ve found grace, forgiveness, and identity as a child of God.

I am a perfectionist and will usually complain that I don’t have enough time all the time, because the asking is too much and the solution is a far stretch. It’s true that today, there are too many tasks to juggle and not enough patience to finish the good work. Before I heard about Jesus, I was programmed to gut out inefficiencies and slow-moving processes. After Jesus re-wired me, I began to learn His authority on patience, kindness, and encouragement deeply. Now, I’d like to help others finish the race well and share many more stories of grace and joy.

I accepted Christ as my savior at a young age. I always knew who He was and what He did, but it wasn’t until I was about 13 that I saw the true beauty of His sacrifice. My uncle was a drug addict and alcoholic who nearly lost his life to both. I remember praying for him almost every day with my family. The summer before my freshman year, he came to our family and told us that he had accepted Christ as his savior and wanted to be baptized. He completely changed his life and now lives everyday to serve Christ as best as he can.