The Rest of Your Story 31: The End (and the beginning)

* Last post of our 21-day challenge!

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me. We've shared, learned, prayed, and grown together.

On this final day, I simply want to pray for your story...

Lord,

Thank You being the Author of our lives.

And thank You for the woman who is reading these words.

I imagine her, leaning toward a computer screen or peering into a cell phone.

I wish I could be there with her, to wrap my arms around her in a hug of celebration and declare, "We did it!"

I'm so glad that You are there...

in each moment, every word of her story.

You know what is happening now,

both the happy and the hard.

So I pray You will surround her with all she needs.

Write every line of her life with love, sweet Jesus.

Hold her close to You when she aches,

give her joy that overflows when she is happy.

In every scene, every moment be near to her heart.

And bless her story, Lord.

Bless all who share it with her too.

We have just begun to see all You have in store.

We wait with anticipation to see what You will do...

and we surrender our stories to You.

Amen.

And now I've got a some fun surprises for you as a little "thank you"!

First, I hope all of you have thought about your Story Statements. I kept trying to think of another formula to add to the one we did. But I really think it's just about you and Jesus having a conversation to see what else might need to be said.

And after you do, I've got a surprise for you! I asked my friend Mandy, who is fabulous and creative (and is allowed to use a hot glue gun, unlike me), if she would design bookmarks for all of us so we can remember this journey. She will personalize one with your Story Statement!

Here's mine...

(front & back)

  

So go see Mandy and find out more!

*Barbara Viney is the winner of this giveaway!

Also, this series was focused on our present and future. Many of you asked how to record your pasts so that your story could be a legacy for your children.

I shared your desire with our friends at Thomas Nelson. They're releasing a new book called Reflections from a Mother's Heart: Your Life Story in Your Words.

Y'all it has not even in stores yet! But because they think a lot of you, I have a copy to give you! Just leave a comment before midnight on Friday to enter. They're also providing a giveaway on (in)courage today!

Will you help me show our appreciation by visiting their new site, Blessing and Truth?

And speaking of giveaways, I'll announce the winner of the $50 gift certificate to DaySpring and (in)courage tomorrow when we kick off our next series, OUT of INsecurity! (We've done a lot of giveaways lately. Hope you don't mind--I just love sharing!)

We began this challenge with one word and I'm going to end it with the same...

Woo-hoo!

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QUESTION: What's one thing you'll take with you from this challenge?

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(your comment gives you an entry for Reflections from a Mother's Heart!)

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The Rest of Your Story 30: Almost done...

When I began this series, I hoped to end it with lots of answers and a specific plan. There were blanks in my story I wanted filled.

And yet, I stared at the ceiling the other night with many of the same questions going through my mind. What will happen next? What does God want me to do? What about...?"

In the quiet of the night, a whisper came to my heart, wrapped itself around my worries...

You don't need to know what, you only need to know Who.

Just like that, I realized this journey wasn't about what I imagined.

Yes, we're to understand our past, who we are, and where God may wants us to go in the future.

Yet ultimately it's not about us, it's about Him.

Our role in the story is to say "yes" to what God asks of us each day.

As we do, our story unfolds as He plans...

word by word, line by line, page by page, all the way to

The End.

 

* Have you written your Story Statement? We'll revisit those in the last post of the series tomorrow!

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TODAY'S QUESTION: Catch up on anything you missed in the Rest of Your Story Challenge (click "next" at the bottom of each page).

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The Rest of Your Story 29: Who's ready to share some love?

This isn't what you think. It's not about mushy, pie-in-the-sky, singing-in-the-rain romance. (Although there is a little rain as you'll soon see. And there's a big surprise for you!)

Nope, this is about a different kind of love, a different kind of story...yours.

But let's start with the rain first.

One day as I gathered books and stepped into the hall I saw a familiar face wearing a smile and holding an umbrella. My future husband came to walk me through the rain. And my love story came to life.

Years later, during a difficult storm in my life God used that memory to show me that He, too, wanted to walk me through the rain. And my love story came to life.

Almost half a decade of hurt and hope went by. I shared what God had done with other women. It helped heal their hearts too. And my love story came to life.

We're made for love. And it comes whenever the divine shows up in the ordinary, whether that's through family, friends, a cause that captures our hearts, or totally unexpected moments.

Lean in and I'll whisper a secret...

It's not about happily-ever-after.

It's about eternity.

God is the Author and He is love. (Hebrews 12:2, 1 John 4:16)

That means we're all living a love story.

And not just on Valentine's Day but forever.

Now that's worth celebrating!

Photo by Molly Morton-Sydorak

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TODAY'S QUESTION: Share a love story from your life. (Remember, it doesn't have to be a romantic one...just a time when your heart felt real love.) 

DaySpring is sponsoring a special giveaway for all of you who do! You'll be entered to win a Love and Encouragement Collection that includes...

        

A Heart and Globe gallery print, a copy of Rain on Me (my devo), a beautiful box of cards, AND a Faith, Hope, Love bracelet. Together they're worth over $100!

You can leave your love story below or on the DaySpring facebook page (or do both for two entries!) by midnight CST on Wednesday, the 17th.

To Post Your Love Story, Click Here

It's time to share the love...

UPDATE: Congratulations to Nancy Rockey for winning the Love and Encouragement collection! Her comment was chosen by the random number generator. You can read it here! Thanks to everyone who entered. All of you can use my friends and family code, holley20, to get 20% off anything and everything you'd like on DaySpring.com!

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