STORY OF IMPACT
Dear friends, I received this story several days ago. It was a great blessing to me, and once again illustrates the powerful impact of this ministry, and these Thoughts Provoking articles. This story is from a man I have been mentoring and praying for over the last several years. He has suffered several excruciating ordeals, the kind that can crush a man’s will to go on. His story is a testimony of the impact these weekly articles can have when someone reads them with a hunger to absorb them and take them to heart. It illustrates the power of choice!
I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting this vital ministry work and making this all possible.
Hi Pastor Mark,
Speaking of Choices…
Weeks ago when I read your article about Life After Loss, for the next several days I found myself in a mighty struggle, wrestling and battling with the question of whether or not I would believe this for myself and for my own life. Could God really have life for me after my loss? Could I walk in faith looking ahead to his (abundantly greater) goodness? Initially I met these questions with feelings of doubt, defeat and unbelief, resigned and willing to live under the pile of the wreckage until I’m finally with the Lord. But after a week of wrestling and taking this to the Lord in my prayer walks, I came to the decision that I need not live underneath the wreckage and instead will take fresh steps and will choose to believe this for my life, taking one day at a time as God directs me into whatever new life he is writing. I am choosing to believe that good will come and that God has (great) blessing in store for me, and so I will align my life, my walk, my attitude, my expectations, and my decision-making to this very reality. In recent weeks I have been washed over by serenity and calmness, a deep gladness in who God is, what his love means to me, his wonderfulness, and his breath-taking beauties reflected in his created world. And just last week I happened to stumble on the photo below and I thought “Wow! What a picture of deciding to choose life after loss, choose life after death… and see just what God will do, and look forward to what he has in store.”
“a picture of deciding to choose life after loss, choose life after death”
Friends, I would love to hear your story of how God used a specific article in your life to bring you to a new understanding, or helped you in some specific way. Your life matters to me. Please write to me at markstephendarling@gmail.com and share it with me.
May God richly bless each and every one of you today in your walk with Jesus Christ!
Helping you become a Strong Disciple,
Because of Jesus,
Pastor Mark Darling
