Redeemed

Carolyn Lewis
Posted 9/29/22

During the summer and early fall there have been so many activities to be involved in and be a part of that it’s been a busy time for most people

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Redeemed

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During the summer and early fall there have been so many activities to be involved in and be a part of that it’s been a busy time for most people. There were sports activities, fairs, art shows, quilt shows, a garden walk, a balloon festival, picnics and concerts and many more things to be involved in or just enjoy. In just one day last weekend I was able to enjoy a car show in the morning and Indian dancers at Fort Laramie in the afternoon; such different events, but such fun to attend both of them. And both were free to attend, as were most events we can enjoy. 

The Indian dancers were great, and it was interesting to see how they interpreted their words and memories in the dance steps they used. That was how they passed on their history and memories instead of using paper and pencil, and their ceremonies had meaning in each of the different dances they interpreted. 

I also enjoyed the car show, and I identified most of the cars in the show and remembered who had one and the trips we enjoyed in them. I also loved the bright colors they used to use on the cars and the unique styles they came up with. But I think what was most interesting was how they were found and restored. One woman had pictures of the cars in the show that her husband had restored and how they looked when they were found. He found a rusted-out skeleton of an unidentifiable vehicle and saw what it had been and saw what it could be again with his creative mind. It took time and a lot of work to make it beautiful again, but it became a brand-new beautiful car. That was truly amazing.

As I thought about that car show and how many of those old cars were redeemed from the dump and restored to a beautiful, workable vehicle, I began to see the comparison to what God does in our lives. In our 60 years of marriage there have been many ups and downs, and one in particular that was almost too difficult to recover from with severe economic disasters and hardships. I wasn’t coping with it at all at one point and didn’t see how I could go on. I felt like that rusted out old skeleton in the pictures at the car show, I simply felt empty and worn out. Life was just too tough.

At that point I had pushed God out of my life and at that point He redeemed me from the pit I was in and began to guide me back to Him. He led me to a Bible Study and began to give me hope, and as He led me to read the Bible and study how to follow Him and let Him guide me and lead me to deal with what was going on in my life, my life seemed to spark with hope again. It began to have a new strength and light at the end of the tunnel. We found a great church where the Bible was preached and showed us how to apply it to our lives. We worked hard to get back on our feet again, and God began to make something beautiful out of our lives again. He took what was broken and empty and filled us with love and forgiveness and encouragement. He showed us that there was something to live for and enjoy. 

God could see potential in our lives just as those car buffs see potential in a rusted out old skeleton. He began a good work in us and continues to work in our lives every day. He affirms that for us in Phil 1:6 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” And in Isaiah 43:1 “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.” We are His forever, and He will not stop working on us and in us until we join Him in heaven someday. We are God’s workmanship, and He doesn’t make any mistakes.