March is always our testimony month. This month we were blessed with LaShea Worley. LaShea had so many wonderful insights and encouragments to share! God has written (and is continuing to write) a wonderful story in her heart and life.
LaShea broke her testimony down into 3 Acts. Act 1 was her life before Christ. Act 2 began with God unveiling her eyes to the truth of the Gospel (
Acts 9:18) and took her thru living out life as a Christian which still requires facing life's bumps in the road. Lastly, she shared Act 3 and the struggles that came after having her fourth child, as well as, the process God has brought her thru in leading her family to adopt.
I wish I could share with you all of LaShea's story! If you missed hearing her this morning, please go on the Chapel's website and listen. You will be blessed!!
The most central and important part of her life, however, was how she came to know her Lord and Savior--Jesus Christ. She told us that as a child she struggled with feeling loved. She knew she was loved...she just didn't
feel loved. Her view of God was that He was angry and demanding and if she did not measure up, then she was not loved. To put it simply, she felt like what she did determined whether or not God loved her. What a heavy burden to carry! Even though she went to church and had heard about God as a child, she still sadly believed that what she did or did not do was what determined the outcome of eternity for her soul.
Fast forward several years and LaShea found herself in premarital classes at a new church. It was there in those classes that the Gospel was clearly laid out for her and the Holy Spirit revealed the truth to her. In fact, she said the person leading the discussion drew a diagram similar to the one below, which helped her come to this new understanding.
Growing up in a works based religion had given LaShea an inaccurate view of God's truth, and the Gospel lead her to new understanding. Her life hasn't been the same since! She then understood that we are separated from God because of our sin. No matter how many good works we do, no matter how religious we are, no amount of money, no matter how moral we are--NONE of that can bridge the gap to God. Only Christ's death and resurrection can bridge the gap for us!!
I would like to just share a few of the verses LaShea shared with us that were impactful in her conversion to follow Christ:
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit." 1 Peter 3:18
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
"They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.'" Acts 16:31
As I mentioned, there were so many wonderful aspects of her life she shared. I know each of us ladies were blessed by her genuineness and transparency.
She closed with a few of the lessons God's been teaching her in her current season of life:
1. Letting go and trusting God.
2. The importance of prayer. God has convicted her to pray for the little girl they were supposed to be adopting (even if things aren't turning out the way she planned). She referenced a story by Jason Upton she recently heard that provided her with huge encouragement in praying this way (hear Jason's powerful story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mguPHT-Q3Qg).
3. The importance of relationships and friendships.
These are great lessons for each of us, as well.
Through all the ups and downs of her story, she had a good friend reminder her of this: "Don't doubt in the dark what God has called you to do in the light." What a great reminder for us when we tend to doubt what God has called us to do!
I'm so thankful God led LaShea to share today the ways He's worked in her life. I was encouraged and challenged by the things she has gone thru and the things she is now facing. God is writing a wonderful story in her life. She closed with asking us today....if you have not already done so, will you give the pen over to God and let Him write your story? It is only by surrendering our lives fully to Him that our story can become a masterpiece for His glory and for our eternal good.
I'll end this post with one final verse that LaShea shared. She said another adoptive parent had shared this version of
Philippians 4:6-7 with her, but it definitely applies for ALL moms!
"Do not be a spaz, but with each bump in the process, give
it to God in your heart and out loud, and remember to tell Him how
thankful you are for how faithful He has always been. And the peace of
God, which doesn't make sense to your Mama human brain, will stand guard
over your Mama heart and Mama mind because they belong to Jesus."
