Divorced with a child, approaching forty, and barely making ends meet was certainly not the life I always dreamed of. As I look around at what others have accomplished in their careers, families, finances, etc.. it's hard sometimes not to wonder if it's too late for me.
I think about the dreams I let go of altogether and the opportunities I had to sacrifice in order to take care of my family. I think about the years I wasted in toxic relationships. And what about those years I was so far from Jesus? Failure upon failure, my past seems to be laden with regrets and wasted time.
The enemy would love for me to lose hope and drown in grief over the time I've lost. He would love for me to believe that my past sins and mistakes have counted me out. But I know that looking back is futile. I can't change the past. I can only learn from it.
The truth is that God can redeem the time I've lost, even if I was previously off-track. Once you surrender your life to live in God's will, His promise is that He will restore you.
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm, my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God." Joel 2:25-26
There is nothing that is too hard or impossible for God to do. He is the God who brought sight to the blind, raised the dead, healed sickness & disease, and fulfilled the promise of a son to a 100-year-old man. He is the God who opened the womb of many women who cried out to Him in their bareness. He parted the sea, closed the mouth of a lion, and brought men out of a fire without even the stench of smoke upon them.
“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" - Jeremiah 32:27
If God can do all these things, then surely He can create a new opportunity for me that I didn't even know existed. He can set me in front of people who have the resources to help me accomplish my goals and influence them to give me favor over others. He can bring to me a spouse who is fully equipped to take on me and all of my "baggage." He is the creator, and He is able to make all things new.
Just because you don't see a way, doesn't mean that God can't make one. Your story isn't over. God has so much more in store for your future. It's not too late.
xoxo SHELLEY