How
do you tell your story in a few paragraphs on a page? My story has many facets,
but with the many facets, there is one theme- redemption.
My
life verses are found in Psalm 40:1-3, they say: “I waited patiently for the
Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out
of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to
stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will
see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
In
the past 6 years, I have miscarried two babies, moved 6 times, once across the
country and then back again, helped plant a church, experienced extreme postpartum depression, endured a child with severe illness, survived major trust
issues in my marriage, found out I was a victim of video voyeurism and faced my
abuser in court.
In
the past few years, I have been through a gamut of “extreme” circumstances.
However, the Lord has never failed to redeem. He has always picked me up out of
the slimy pit- whether it be my own selfish sin, my self pity, or pits other
have thrown me into- like the deep insecurity of sexual abuse. He has
faithfully turned his ear to my cry, picked me up, dusted me off, reminded me
of His love and given me the endurance to persevere.
I
wish I could say I had always been a pillar of faith, but honestly I have not.
There have been overwhelming times, I would get frustrated and just scream
“Why, God?” But, in the depths of my soul, I know the reason why….
John
15 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he
prunes so that it will be even more fruitful….“I am the vine; you are the
branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing.
The
Lord loves me. His ultimate goal is for Him to make me look more like Him; to
be attached to Him, so I know I can do nothing without Him- not for my life to
be easy. He allows overwhelming circumstances into my life so I can learn to
run to Him first, to draw strength from His word, to experience deeper trust in
Him. In the midst of hardship, He is pruning me, making me look more like Him.
When I think of my story in this light, I am thankful. The God of the universe
has only allowed in my life, what will bring me good in the end, and Him
glory.
I’m
grateful Michelle let me share a piece of my story here with you. The end of my
life verses say, “He has put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our
God…” That is exactly what the Lord has done for me. He has given me a platform
to sing His praises as a worship leader for my church. I am leaving you with a
song I adore called, “My Delight.” It speaks to the faithfulness of the Lord,
the rock on which I stand, and the satisfaction of a relationship with Him.
2)
Does the idea that God prunes those He loves help you at all?
3)
How has God showed Himself faithful to you?
Have
you been through extenuating life circumstances. I would love to hear from you.
My e-mail is ashley.e.a.fisher@gmail.com.
Author Bio
Ashley has been described as charming,
compassionate and passionately in love with the Lord, with her excitement for
His Word of God being contagious. Ashley writes, sings, or speaks with a
genuine heartfelt and sincere spirit that draws people to know more about the
God she serves.
Ashley is a spirited worship leader at
her church in Memphis, Tennessee and a stay at home wife and mom to her three
little children, Annabelle (6), Adelyn (5), and Abraham (22 months). She is
currently completing her book: After All:Overcoming the Devastation of Video
Voyeurism. In her spare time, she writes for her blog: ashleyfisherslife@blogspot.com, drinks lots of coffee, runs and
crafts.
(This post was written by Ashley Fisher as a part of the Our Heart's Song Blog Series this month. I encourage you to read her story and check out her website. This is one of the many incredible women that I had the privilege to meet at the SheSpeaks Conference I attended in July.)
(This post was written by Ashley Fisher as a part of the Our Heart's Song Blog Series this month. I encourage you to read her story and check out her website. This is one of the many incredible women that I had the privilege to meet at the SheSpeaks Conference I attended in July.)
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