Have you ever wondered what it really means to be “laid waste” by something? It means to be devastated, ruined, wasted, crushed, and overwhelmed. This Christmas I am absolutely laid waste at the manger by the love, mercy, grace, and tenderness of my Savior Jesus! It is so overwhelming, all I can do is cry.
This blog is for anyone needing hope, peace, encouragement, joy or purpose and anyone struggling with addictions, self-hatred, hopelessness, anxiety, depression, or lack of purpose.
This is a continuation to the blog Laid Waste At the Manger that I wrote at Christmas, 2015. Since then, this young woman has been through many trials.
- April 2016 – purchased a home and moved
- May 2016 – 2nd foot surgery
- Nov 2016 – minor heart attack
- May 2017 – total knee replacement
- Dec. 2017 – sold house and moved to the country to a 1 story
- May 2018 – heart defect required sudden open heart surgery and aortic valve replacement
- July – 2019 – laid off after 8 yrs with a great company
- May 2020 – filed bankruptcy
- Feb. 2020 – October 2020 – very demoralizing work environment
- 2021 – laid off from 3 jobs, 1 after another; August – God provided a wonderful permanent job!
Even through all of this, God has sustained her – with that persistence and resilience He placed within her! So, I declare with the writer of Habakkuk (3:17-19, NIV):
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights!
I cannot say the last 6 years have been easy, but I WILL testify to the Goodness and Faithfulness of my God! The enemy has assaulted my mind hundreds of times with thoughts of despair, loneliness, and even suicide. But I declare my mind, body, and emotions belong only to my God. For He created me for His pleasure and to demonstrate his power though me and bring hope to others. Through every trial He has equipped me to minister to others out of my own pain. He will NEVER leave me or fail me and He will never leave or fail you!
With the political climate and COVID and the stress of a new job this year, I didn’t want the holidays to come at all. But, He is worthy of my worship alone this Christmas and I will Celebrate at the manger!
I am a a mighty arrow in the hand of my God. My only HOPE is Jesus and He is my EVERYTHING – my reason for living, my reason for joy, and the reason for this Christmas season! God bless you and your families during this amazing Season. May you take time to reflect on the manger and may you be laid waste by this indescribable, merciful, loving God!
