A
Good Story: Happily Ever After
By Karen D’Amore
“Delight yourself in
the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalm 37:4
Yes…I LOVE a good story! One that provokes your thoughts…warms your
heart…and inspires growth and change. Each time I’ve shared this story, I’ve
received a consistent response…“what a GOOD story!” I agree…it’s a really good story! But the reason I believe it’s such a good
story…is because it’s a “God Story!”
The story began with a call to delight
myself in my Lord. To love Him wholeheartedly, abandoning my will and control
over my life. To allow Him to warm my heart and become my consuming fire. He
personally challenged me to abandon the pitfalls of logical thinking and trust
in His thoughts and His ways. He stretched
me in ways to inspire growth and transform my evolving faith.
In this story, God called me to listen, wait
and pray…repeatedly. There were those difficult days in which I impatiently
wanted to fast forward to the “happily ever after” ending. But as God’s
faith-filled mystery unfolded, I grew to relish His page-turning timing. And as
His unleashed power transcended every corner of my world, I became an
enthusiastic spectator in His glory-filled arena.
Once God became my “everything”…my
delight…HE was all that mattered. As I wholeheartedly proclaimed, “Whatever
Lord…wherever Lord,” His free reign over my life translated into a beautiful
story where He fulfilled the desires of my heart!
There were moments when I wrestled with
confidence in this new trade. When my skills were stretched beyond their
comfort zone and I doubted my abilities. When challenges threatened my logic, I
questioned my decision in this new vocation. But in the midst of every question
and every doubt, God reminded me…this was HIS plan…HIS doing… and HIS story. It
wasn’t about me! It wasn’t about my abilities, but rather my availability to
surrender to His plan and bring honor and glory to Him. With my heart melded in
unity with my Lord’s, He fulfilled every desire He’d infused within my heart.
For the past two years I’ve lived out the
desires of my heart ministering at God’s perfectly-chosen salon. With Psalm
37:4 inscribed on the back of my business cards, I am reminded daily of this
story. Yes, it’s a really good story…a “happily ever after”
story…because it’s GOD’s Story!
To be
continued…
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Who’s writing your story?
FURTHER READING:
Married
to Dan, Karen, a retired police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at
Craig Berns Salon. She volunteers at the
Wildlife Rescue Center and in Women’s Ministry at Oakwood Church.
