Much like yours, my life is marked by a collection of moments and memories all leading up to today, each of which has in some way made me into who I am. There are a million little moments that run together and are fluid in my memory, like a river where time passes by without incident, smooth and unyielding. There are other moments that stand out in a definitive way, forever marking the space before and after. That’s what one sleepy Saturday morning on the blackwaters of the Ogeechee River was to me: a break in the current of a life that was drowning me, and a decision that forever marked the space before and after.
There was something about that morning that made me snap awake. I had made plans the day before, and it was there in the midst of my plans, floating down the river, that I knew I needed to get out of the boat. Even though I grew up on the banks of that same river, swinging from rope swings and skipping rocks, I had never walked through that particular stretch of woods.
I didn’t know that I was searching for something until I saw it there, hanging from the branch of a sweetgum tree. I plucked the empty cocoon from amidst the leaves, and in my heart, I heard God say that I could be made new too.
That night I read 1 Corinthians 5:17 and asked Jesus to make me new. Every moment after has been defined by a love that I can’t explain or comprehend, but that has been lavished on me by the Creator of the stars, the God who spoke and made rivers spring forth.
I am living in the moments after, and my life is a testimony of His amazing love. After giving my life to Jesus, everything changed. I began to learn how to hear from the Holy Spirit and to live out the miracle that is the ability to walk hand in hand with the Creator of the universe. In the years that have followed, I’ve experienced the goodness of God in ways I could have never imagined, and you can too.
That’s why I’m here, typing out words on this keyboard late at night after I’ve tucked babies into bed and wiped off the kitchen counters. I believe that words are powerful, and I pray that these words remind you that God is near, that He has a purpose for your life, and that you are incredibly, profoundly, deeply loved.
Today I live close to another winding South Georgia river in a small, charming city with my favorite redhead and our three kids. Together, my husband and I founded The Lily and The Sparrow where we have the honor of working with an incredible international team to spread the gospel.