I’m delighted to introduce you to my friend, Linda Seabrook. She’s an inspirational author and I know you’ll be blessed by her post today. Enjoy!

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I have never been a big reader of fiction books on a regular basis. When my daughters were younger, we read mountains of fiction that we borrowed from the library, starting with picture books that eventually morphed into full-out novels. However, as they began to read more and more on their own, my attention turned to other genres. Yet as of late, I have started to pick up a few fiction pieces again, my choices being on the recommendation of friends and now with the realization why I haven’t read a lot of fiction over the years. There’s just too many to choose from, some good, some not so good. And once I do discover that good one, I am completely drawn in with every word, every thought, until I reach the inevitable very last page.

Who doesn’t love a good story?

The reality of our lives is that we all have a story to tell. The settings, plots and characters may be different. Many of us experience more twists and turns than we had expected. Often our choices or the choices of others leave us with chapters that are less than glowing, maybe even heartbreaking. We may live through moments that change our stories completely, deciding we can’t make sense of it all and will never have anything to tell.

But with Christ, there is always more to it. Our lives reveal stories of purpose and hope.

The story of the Bible reveals the lives of men and women who were at the crossroads and within risk of getting lost along the way. Sarah, the mother of many nations, succumbed to the bleakness of barrenness, telling Abraham to conceive with her maidservant, Hagar, then promptly sending her away. King David, the anointed one over all of Israel, chose desire and lust over holiness and honour, leading to a family life of heartache, dysfunction and rebellion. Peter, a beloved disciple of Jesus, turned away in the last moments before the crucifixion of His Saviour, when commitment and love gave way to threat and fear.

Yet the book of Hebrews records Sarah as a woman of faith. David was documented as a man after God’s own heart and the best king the Israelites had ever known. Peter became a leader in the early church and brought the Gentiles the good news of Christ. The trajectory of their stories was completely changed, all because they allowed God to complete what was still unfinished.

Image by Gerhard Gellinger from Pixabay

And God continues to do that in our lives when we look to Him.

In frustration, discouragement, heartbreak, even when we have also lost our way, God still redeems every broken place of our lives when we hold it out to Him. Not necessarily for Him to change or resolve it all, but for Him to redeem and use it all.

The story of Job seems to tell it the best. After losing everything and almost everyone within his world, then living through the counsel of a less than encouraging wife and friends, the narrative to Job’s life was this: As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives . . . I know that you can do all things. And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted (Job 19:25, 42:2).

The Author of Life Himself wants to pen the story of your life. He wants to use the good, the bad, and even the ugly. Why should you even let Him? Because when God is over all, He promises purpose and hope for today, a glorious ending, and a story the world is longing to hear.

Linda Seabrook’s Bio:

Linda Seabrook is Director of Women’s Ministry at Redemption Bible Chapel London, where her passion is to see women of all ages come to know and follow the living God. She loves to write about the big and small things of life at www.lifebygodsgrace.com. Last year she published her first book, Out from Under the Table: Seeking God’s Presence in the Midst of Loss. She and her husband, Guy, reside in London, ON and have a blended family of four married adult children.