Every few months I drop off some items at one of my favorite thrift stores. It’s one of the nicest ones around, run by a local church.

On my last visit I was headed out of the store when I noticed some Christmas decorations that appeared to be in good condition. I hadn’t purchased any in years, and decided we could use an additional piece or two. Among the items that caught my attention was a beautiful fruit/floral arrangement in an antiqued gold pot. It had deep burgundy apples and berries, and large green and burgundy leaves with gold brushed throughout.

I picked up the piece to locate the price. It was surprisingly lightweight as if it was made of foam. Three dollars! I couldn’t resist taking it home.

“Wally, look what I just got for $3.00 at Hope Thrift,” I told him as soon as I got home. “We could use this for Christmas or even after Christmas,” I said as I placed it on the center kitchen countertop.

“Oh no! It’s damaged,” I exclaimed when I noticed one of the four corners of the gold base was chipped, exposing a white substance.

“Had I seen that in the store, I wouldn’t have purchased it,” I said with disappointment. I knew all sales were final.

“Why don’t you just touch it up with some paint,” Wally suggested.

“That’s a great idea.”

Shortly thereafter I went up to my craft room and found some gold matte paint and a sponge brush. In less than five minutes, I brushed the white damaged corner with gold paint. Not bad.

After it dried I showed it to Wally. “You have to really look at it to notice it’s missing a chunk out of the corner,” I told him.

“You can’t even tell,” he replied.

I assume the previous owners donated the arrangement because it was damaged. To me, it’s a lovely piece now displayed on a small chest in our foyer.

Repairing the pot made me think about my relationship with God. Before I was a Christian, I had many wounds because of my childhood. In spite of my imperfections, God pursued me. He saw potential in me and knew that he could heal those wounds and make me whole again.

After I surrendered my life to Christ and became a Christian on Christmas night 1980, my life dramatically changed. My interests changed. My thoughts changed. My habits changed. It was as if I gradually became brand spanking new!

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; all things become new.

I’m so glad that God doesn’t overlook us or toss us aside when we’re wounded in any way. Instead, He sees our potential. With a little, or maybe a lot, of His repair work, anyone can be made new again!

(Below is a “before” photo of the arrangement in our kitchen with the chip in the lower left corner.)

The second is the “after” photo of the arrangement in our foyer with the painted area in the lower right corner.)

God Sees You!

Do you know that God sees you? With 8.2 billion people on this earth, God sees you! That means you, individually, not collectively. But you, personally, with all of your feelings, thoughts and experiences. I know this to be true because of what happened to me.

I once was a young woman without hope. No hope of escaping the pain of my childhood traumas. No hope of feeling normal or living a normal life. No hope of being happy.

Because of those traumas I wasn’t sure what to believe about God. I surmised that either He didn’t exist, or if He did, He had forgotten about me. So I forgot about him.

That is until I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ and became a Christian on Christmas night 1980. After that evening, God began to transform my heart, my life, and everything about me.

In a very short period of time, God healed me of the negative impact of those childhood traumas. I was no longer the walking wounded trying to get by, one day at a time, and trying to escape the darkness that hung over me for years. I was and still am me. But I became a better version of me.

Maybe you’ve had childhood traumas like I did, or multiple negative experiences as an adult where you feel all alone. Maybe you believe that God isn’t real. Or, if He is real, He has forgotten about you. Or maybe you feel your life has no meaning or purpose. You believe there is no hope for your life to change. I know that feeling.

I can assure you, He does see you. He knows. He cares. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” And Isaiah 49:16 says, “I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

God also has a plan and purpose for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So, if you think God has forgotten about you, rest assured. He knows you. And He knows what you’re going through. But, it’s up to us to seek Him.

As I lay in bed on Christmas night many years ago wishing I was never born, I thought about becoming a Christian. Having resisted the advice of my friend to do so for months, I asked myself, “What have I got to lose?” And I was right. I lost nothing and gained everything.

So if you’re down and out this Christmas season, feeling hopeless, why not give Jesus a chance? What on earth have you got to lose? Absolutely nothing.

Here’s the link to my recent interview by Farnaz on her Stories of Hope, Help and Healing Youtube channel.

Does God use imperfect people? Absolutely.

One of the greatest examples of this is the story of David vs. Goliath. When a nine-foot Philistine named Goliath was harassing the Israelites daily, challenging just one of them to fight him in a winner take all battle, not one Israeli soldier accepted his challenge.

Enter David, a young Israeli shepherd boy. While bringing food to his brothers on the battlefield, he heard the giant’s challenge. With faith and courage that God would enable him to defeat this evil giant, he agreed to fight him one-on-one. Goliath laughed at him. David took his slingshot, slung a stone, and struck the giant in the forehead. He instantly fell to the ground–dead.

As a young shepherd boy he was anointed to be the future king of Israel. During his reign he committed adultery with Bathsheba who was married. When Bathsheba became pregnant by him, he made sure her husband was killed on the battlefield to cover up her adulterous pregnancy. David repented of his sins and God used him to write many of the Old Testament’s psalms. In Acts 13:22, God calls David a “man after his own heart.”

The New Testament also tells us of imperfect individuals God chose to carry out his will.

After Jesus died and Christianity was spreading, a young very religious Jewish man named Saul believed this new faith to be a false religion and blasphemous. He persecuted the early believers, capturing and imprisoning them for their faith. Until one day when Jesus spoke to him. He became a believer, and God changed his name to Paul.

God then called Paul to be an evangelist who ended up writing most of the New Testament. The Jewish believers were terrified of Paul, not trusting the sincerity of his faith. He eventually won their confidence and their respect. Over the course of his lifetime, he was beaten, stoned, imprisoned and whipped for his faith and preaching. He continued his mission until he was executed by Rome for his faith.

Were David or Paul perfect individuals? Certainly not. But they had courage and faith. And repentance. They knew they could accomplish what God called them to do, despite the seemingly absurd calling on their lives.

There are numerous examples of imperfect men and women throughout history who were called and used by God.

1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I believe God looks for people He can use that possess courage and faith no matter their imperfections. No matter their pasts.

Let’s always keep our eyes open to what God wants to do, especially when he chooses the perfect imperfect person to do it. We wouldn’t want to miss what God is doing. Now would we?

The other day I was driving to the grocery store when I saw something up ahead inching across the four-lane road. I thought it was a squirrel dragging a leaf. I slowed down. As I got closer, I realized it was a turtle.

I pulled over, put my hazard lights on, and got out of the vehicle. He was huge! I picked up this heavy creature with both hands holding him at the back of his body so he couldn’t bite me. He immediately drew his head into his shell. It was only a few feet to a grassy area on the side of the road. I faced him away from the street and drove off.

What if he goes back into the road? I pulled over at the next intersection and walked about a block and a half to where I left him. Sure enough, he had turned around headed towards the street. I didn’t realize there was a black chain link fence blocking his path where I had placed him.

Now what do I do? I picked him up again and looked for a safer place.

The fence enclosed a baseball field and went on for quite a distance along the grassy area.I knew there was a pond up ahead about a half mile and headed that way. I had often seen many large turtles on my daily walk sunning on the rocks or diving into that pond when I tried to photograph them.

It began to rain so I picked up my pace. I knew he had to be frightened and was relieved he didn’t come out and try to bite me.

“Just hold on,” I told him. “I’m trying to save your little behind.”

I eventually arrived at the grassy area around the pond, walked down the hill, and put him on the ground along the water’s edge.

“There you go Mr. Turtle,” I said as I gave him a light pat on the behind.

He took off for the water. Splash!

Mr. Turtle didn’t understand I was keeping him from danger, but I know he was happy once he was released.

My adventure with Mr. Turtle reminded me of my mid-twenties. My life was headed in the wrong direction. But God had a stranger pray for me. For two years. During that time, God reached out to me, but I didn’t listen. Yet, He still pursued me. And then after I became a Christian, I realized He had intervened in my life, showing me the right direction.

Isaiah 30:21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

I don’t know if turtles are attuned to the voice of God. But we humans can be. If we learn to recognize it, I’m sure He will point us in the right direction. Just like I did Mr. Turtle.

Decades ago my husband, Wally, was born with a rare congenital heart defect known as pulmonary stenosis—a narrowing of his pulmonary heart valve—causing a reduction in blood flow to the lungs. Doctors knew how to repair the condition, but at that time the technology was not available enabling surgical procedures that required the patient’s heart to be stopped.

“I’m sorry,” the doctor told his parents. “There’s nothing we can do.” The prognosis looked bleak that he would live beyond his early twenties.

Wally’s Mom was a religious woman. I’m sure she said many prayers for her son with such a grim outlook.

Wally was never told about his condition. Fortunately, he had no physical restrictions. He was living at Fort Benning, Georgia, at the time where his father was an Army Officer. A few years later they were transferred to Japan for several years, and then on to Virginia.

For many years doctors were working on developing the heart-lung machine which would keep patients alive while they performed intricate surgical procedures on the heart. In 1953, after many failures, the first human patient survived heart surgery while connected to the heart-lung machine. Less than four years later, during the infancy of these new medical procedures, Wally was scheduled for a pulmonary valvulotomy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C.

“Am I going to die?” he asked his father the night before his surgery.

“No, you’re not going to die,” he replied to his eleven-year-old son, though uncertain of the outcome.

The long arduous surgery was successful and he became one of the early survivors of heart surgery while connected to a heart-lung machine. After four weeks he was released from the hospital. A few months later they were transferred to France for a few years where he continued to live a life of normalcy. He even started an exercise regimen that included lifting weights. His future looked bright.

His father was transferred back to Virginia where Wally later went on to attend Virginia Tech. He was drafted during the Vietnam War while in college. However, after the Army reviewed his medical records denoting his cardiac history, he was deemed medically unfit for military service.

Wally’s parents had no way of knowing the heart-lung machine would be developed and prolong their young son’s life. And Wally had no way of knowing that frightening heart surgery would later exempt him from military service, unlike so many others who served and lost their lives or were wounded. Did his heart condition prevent his possible death had he been able to serve? No one knows but God.

Sixty years later Wally still lifts weights five days a week and appears younger than most men his age.

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

I’d say Romans 8:28 certainly came to fruition in Wally’s case. No matter how you look at it.

(Below is a photo of Wally when he was eight with his dog, “Shot.”

I recently read the book, “Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home” after seeing the movie, “Arthur the King” based on the same true story. To me it’s one of the greatest dog rescue stories ever. Though I’m not sure who rescued who.

Arthur was a stray dog in Ecuador who came upon an endurance Adventure Racing team from Sweden competing in a five-day World Championship race. Over 50 teams of four had to run, bike, hike, trek through mud, and kayak a grueling 435 mile course through the jungles and mountains of South America with only short breaks to eat and rest before transitioning to the next leg.

They were on one of their breaks when the team’s leader, Mikael Lindnor, was eating a pack of meatballs and noticed a very calm scruffy dog looking at him. Mikael stared at this poised creature in rough shape with obvious wounds. As he wondered out loud about this dog with such a regal presence, he gave him one of his meatballs. With no time to delay, the team took off for their next leg.

Hours later, during the night, the team noticed the dog had followed them through their difficult and exhausting trek in thick mud. He seemed ever determined to be by Mikael’s side. The now team of five continued through the challenging mud.

At the kayak transition station, Mikael and the team shared their meager food portions with the dog. “You need a name,” Mikael said. He named him Arthur, after the king.

When the team approached their kayaks, they were told by one of the race monitors that Arthur was not allowed in the kayak. With no other options, the team split up into two kayaks and paddled off. Mikael silently wished Arthur would jump into the water and follow them. Moments later, he heard a splash.

Arthur tried to catch up but struggled to keep his head above water. Mikael knew he had a life altering decision to make. Stop and pull Arthur into the boat, sacrificing their dreams of making it into the top three, or continue on leaving Arthur to drown. Mikael never a pet, yet there seemed to be a special bond between them.

“Stop” he yelled to his partner. They pulled Arthur into the boat, with cheers from onlookers on shore. They struggled with their extra passenger but finished the 14+ hour kayaking segment. They came in 12^th place in the race, with Arthur by their side.

After much difficulty, Mikael got permission to bring Arthur to Sweden where he was treated by a vet and became part of Mikael’s family. Mikael later started the Arthur Foundation which benefits stray dogs all over the world.

The sacrificial act that Mikael made that day reminds me of Luke 9:24: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” Mikael willingly lost the chance of being a winner in the race. But, he gained so much more.

In an interview I saw on Youtube, Mikael said that rescuing Arthur was the best decision he ever made. Arthur had changed his life. For the better. Forever.

Is God real? Every second across the globe there are 200 google searches asking that question according to investigative journalist/author, Lee Strobel. A former atheist, Lee set out to divorce his wife because of her conversion to Christianity. Instead, he decided prove her newfound faith wrong. His exhaustive worldwide search into the biblical claims of Jesus Christ resulted in his converting to Christianity. He eventually became a powerhouse Christian who penned the book/turned movie, “The Case for Christ,” which tells his amazing story.

God has revealed His existence to me also over and over again. One of those times occurred when I was 12 when He intervened to save my life after a male relative sexually assaulted me and tried to murder me four different ways. But, instead of acknowledging that God spared my life, I concluded that He must not be real. After all, how could he allow such a thing to happen to a child?

Another instance occurred when I was 26 years old. A stranger who worked in my office building went home to his wife one night and said, “There’s a sad looking young woman at work. I believe God wants us to pray for her.” And so they did.

A year later my 19 year old angelic brother died suddenly in his sleep of a virus that attacked his heart. After his death, I believed he had to have gone somewhere. It didn’t make sense to me that that was the end of him. I came to the conclusion that he must have gone to Heaven. And if Heaven was real, God was real. And if God was real, I was in big trouble as my lifestyle was far from angelic. I set out on a quest to find out how to get right with God. Months later I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, and He dramatically changed it.

A third instance began shortly after I became a Christian when I prayed for a husband. But not just any husband. I made out a list of specific qualities I was looking for in a spouse. Seven years later a CPA from Virginia was sent to do a months’ long audit in my office in Upstate New York. Four weeks after his arrival, we went to lunch for the second time. During that meal I sensed God tell me this was the man I was going to marry. Two years later it came to fruition. Next month is our 34^th anniversary.

I share these and many other experiences I’ve had with God in my memoir, “The Road to Mercy,” available on Amazon.

God created us to know Him through His son Jesus Christ and to fulfill the plans and purposes He has for us. What Lee Strobel did, what I did, and what so many others have done, has brought us all to the same conclusion. God is real.

Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Are you wondering if God is real? If so, let the search begin.