Something Amazing Happened Today...

Most people know the saying, confession is good for the soul so here goes...
As most of you know, my relationship with God has been an on again off again thing. Kinda like Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson. lol I grew up in a christian home I even went to a private christian high school. I believed in God, accepted Jesus as my savior and was on my way to doing great things for His kingdom.
Then I went to college. I am not saying college is a bad thing, quite the opposite it is a wonderful thing. I just don't think I was mature enough to handle it. See I have always been one of those people who followed the crowd. I admit it and own it. I was never a leader growing up, I left that to my big sister, who is an amazingly strong person, and whom I have learned from, more than she knows. Anyway, back to the point. I veered off of God's path for me BIG time in college. Picture your stereotypical college party girl, and that was me. Because of my bad choices I have had some tough emotional issues to work through. Trust being a huge one. Trusting others, but mostly trusting myself to make the right decisions for my life.
I continued on this self distructing path for a long while. Until one day I was leaving my gym in Broken Arrow, and saw a banner outside of a place called Destiny Church. It had a picture of the last supper. All I could see was Jesus with outstretched arms and the banner read "Carried to the Table" Something broke inside me that day. I was tired. I knew there was no way I could present myself to God in the state I was in, but then it hit me. I wasn't meant to make my own way. Jesus made a way, He carried me to the table when He laid down His life to save me. So I took what would be the best "risk" of my life and I went to church. I knew I would never be the same!
So I started my journey, back to the path God had laid out for me in the beginning, and He was there waiting for me. In the form the amazing people I have met at Destiny Church. I have always been a music lover. From choir in high school and college, to countless nights of karaoke!! So I knew that was one thing that I had to connect with at a place I would call my home church. I couldn't ask for more from the praise and worship team at Destiny. They are amazing. Pastor Tony is so talented and the team around him make going to church every week a worship experience that can't be beat! Pastor Mike knows what it is to get on your level. He doesn't preach at you. He teaches and guides.
The first Sunday Cory and I went to church, they had what's called Echo that night. It's the 18-30 yr olds who get together the 1st Sunday of every month and just hang out. Maybe someone speaks about what's been on their heart. We met some of the most awesome people on the planet! Pastor Arnie and his wife Sheree, Iman and Karen Serna, Nick and Amy Agimudie. These people had no clue who Cory and I were, but they opened their hearts and listened as we told them a little about ourselves. I was afraid, I was waiting for the condemnation, judgment, or pity, but instead I saw love. Christ's love.
I love the fact that everyone makes a point to let you know they aren't perfect. No one is perfect, God and His Son alone are perfect. We are made perfect through salvation. That gives me comfort. So I have been slowly making my way closer to God's path, for a little over a year now, and I have learned so much! There is a huge long list of things I have learned about, trust, love, obedience and so many other things that I will blog about at a later date.
As my friend Rhonda would say to make a long story longer, I now sing with that worship team I so admire. So today, we were singing You Alone and the band goes into this instrumental and the singers are singing praise to God. Nothing in particular, in fact I remember Pastor Tony saying "sing a new song to God" so I did, and what happened next was so amazing! I could hear myself singing, but I wasn't thinking about what I was singing. I was in total surrender, worshiping God. Not worried about what the people in the congregation thought, I wanted nothing more than to sing God's praises. That is something that is pretty hard for me. I don't put myself in vulnerable situations in front of people. Today the Holy Spirit filled me, broke my heart, and made me whole again. It is a milestone in my journey. I can finally see what it means to truly surrender to God, not only in word, but in action, faith, love, and hope. My future is in Christ alone. And I couldn't be more secure!
~Heather Reedy
We can do no great things,
only small things with great love -Mother Theresa