Our Heart's song Blog Series: Leeanne's Story

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January has always been my jam!  New beginnings, clean house, beautiful blank planner, and a full year of possibilities. There is something calming about January. Perhaps it is because from October through December there is wonderful chaos. We slow down too. The summer months having us racing around and staying up late but not January. January forces you to rest. It forcing you to consider the year you just said goodbye to and the wide open months ahead.

But, above all that, I have chosen ONE WORD to reflect upon for the coming year. I love doing this because it forces me to reflect and remember the past events of those 12 months. This year (2015) a word came to me.  As I was praying one January morning about this particular word and what it meant for 2015, He opened my eyes to something so much bigger.

My redemption story - from age 10 till now has been this same word: RESTORE

When I became a teenager I knew my salvation was found in the cross, blood, and resurrection of Jesus. No doubts. No question. BUT, what I didn't understand was the relationship that was available to me. I got redemption but not relationship. I spent 15 years as a prodigal. I knew I needed something more but didn't know how to get it. In my mind, I got the gospel  and I didn't need it to be explained again. But I didn't know how to see Jesus as others did. 

After many years away, many years of hard things, I decided to give a local church a try. I needed something. Anything. Literally, as I sat in the pew the first words out of the pastors mouth were, "We were created to yearn for our Creator. We were made for relationship". 

The Lord, in his wonderful kindness, RESTORED me. He REDEEMED, RESTORED, and gave me RELATIONSHIP.  All along I said I didn't need to hear the gospel again - I got it. But, really, I needed (and still need) to hear it over and over and over because it is in the Cross that the relationship is found. 

What is your WORD?  We all have a beautiful story and I now know it begins at the dusty foot of the cross.

Author Bio

Wife to Greg, Mom to 3 wonderful kids (Rachel, Nolan, and Georgia). I love the local church and have a passion for speaking, teaching, and world missions. 

(This post was written by Leeanne Burda 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.)