(Psalms 139:14-17) “I will give thanks unto thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well. My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written,Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!”

God chose me to be born into a very dysfunctional family... but He didn't do it to punish me. He used everything that happened to me for my good. Remember this... always, always God uses your past for your future good! So praise God for how He is using your past to make you into the person He wants you to be!

Oh, if I had a choice about it, I would want to be a great missionary, or an unforgettable teacher, or a fantastic artist, or even a renound writer for Him. But you see, God has a perfect plan for my life. He is the one molding me into the person He wants me to be. My responsibility is to be willing to be molded... to stop bemoaning the past; to accept whatever is happenig in my life right now as God's tool to shape me.

“God's character goes into the creation of every person. When you feel worthless or even begin to hate yourself, remember that God's Spirit is ready and willing to work within you. We should have as much respect for ourselves as our Maker has for us.” (LASB)

(John 9:3) “Jesus answered, Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

Of course, Jesus is talking about the works He did to cause the blind man to see... but the same application can be applied to our own life. What ever your sins; no matter your past; in spite of your parents sins and because God loves you, He will use it all to make you into a better person. So, let's not bemoan our past, instead let's thank God for how He is using it to make us more humble, loving and dependent on Him. For us to whine and cry over our past is wasted tears and emotions!

(Phillipians 1:6) “...being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ...”

When we are discouraged and feel like giving up, we need to remember God doesn't feel the same way – He won't give up on us. He promises to finish the work he has begun. When we feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by our shortcomings, let's remember God's promises and provisions. Let's not let our present condition rob us of the joy of knowing Christ or keep us from growing closer to him.

You may have read this poem before but it's so approate for this devotion so read it again and think of how God is using whatever has happened to you for your good... to make you into the person He wants you to be – not the person you want to be.

THE WEAVER

My life is but a weaving between my Lord and me,

I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow, and I in foolish pride

forget He sees the upper but I the under side.

Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,

shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needed in the Weaver's skillful hand,

as threads of gold and silver in the pattern life has planned.

by Benjamin Malachi Franklin (1882-1965)

(1 Corinthians 1:26-29) “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

Father God, forgive me when I moan over my life... forgive me when I look at someone else and become envious... help me to see and believe you are weaving my life's experiences together to make a beautiful tapestry for yourself. Help me yeald to your loving hands as you weave the dark threads into my life. Amen.