Cardboard Testimonies

I had one of the most amazing experiences last night. I was fortunate enough to go to a service at The Lovelady Center with a group of women from my church. It is a women's shelter for ladies who have been incarcerated or those coming off the streets or running from abusive relationships. We were treated to a dinner, presentation, and tour of the facilities. It is housed in an old hospital in the East Lake area and currently is at capacity with over 330 women and children. At this moment there are also 23 babies all under the age of 6 weeks old!

I could not hold back the tears watching these women and hearing their stories. At one point in the service the women came out and gave their testimonies on cardboard. On one side they had written their past and then they flipped the card over to reveal their present and future. As women younger than me walked across the stage, I was overwhelmed with such emotion. These women told stories of abuse, neglect, drugs, prostitution, etc... Signs said things like "Drug Addict" and then "Fanatic of Jesus."

One of the more moving signs were the mothers and daughters. A mother held a sign that said "Following down a path of destruction" while her teenage daughter held a sign that said "Following in her footsteps." Then the mother's sign read "Following God's path for me" while her daughter held the same sign that said "Following in her footsteps."

I wish I could express to you how powerful that portion of the program was. After each woman walked across the stage and held up her sign and then her new sign, everyone applauded. I was so humbled at the same time. Here are these women that are my age, my friends' age, my Mom's age, my sister's age. They represent all of us and it so easily could be any of us. Any of us could fall into hard times and resort to actions we never thought possible. Some of these women were college graduates, had great jobs but made poor choices.

What if someone asked you to walk across the stage today boldly displaying your sin on a cardboard sign? Then when asked to flip it over what would the other side say? I am pretty sure my sign would say "Selfish" and then I would flip it over to say "Still Selfish." It was extremely convicting.

I was surrounded by very difficult circumstances last night but yet in the midst of pain was HOPE. These women have HOPE now, they have a safe place to sleep, they have their children back, their lives back, jobs and most importantly an eternal future. God rescued them and healed their wounds. That same God rescues me daily and heals my own wounds. That same God can rescue my Mom and heal her wounds. He can rescue you and heal your wounds.

Don't doubt the power of our almighty God who allowed his Son to die for us and then raised Him from the dead. We talked in Bible Study about how the first one to see Jesus was Mary Magdalene. She was desperately seeking her Savior outside the empty tomb when she ran into the "gardener." She didn't care who saw her, she just wanted to see her Jesus. Finally when he called her by name-Mary-she recognized him. He told her to go and tell and she did just that. The first true evangelist some may say-was Mary Magdalene, a former prostitute.

God can use anyone...Is He calling you by name? Flip over your sign and tell someone He is Alive!



John 20:10-18 (New International Version)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."

16Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "

18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.