“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)
These two passages sum up my life, upon which I am reflecting as I celebrate 60 years of existence today. I was born the third son of Depression-era children. My dad was orphaned at six years old when his parents died in the 1918 flu epidemic and my mom was an only child. Dad quit school after 6th grade to go to work. Mom finished high school and was determined her boys would all go to college.
They met while Dad was in the Navy during World War II. There marriage wasn’t great, but they stuck it out and gave my brothers and I a roof over our heads and loved us the best they knew how. Like most families in the 60’s, they took us to church, but were not believers. I never saw them read the Bible or pray, and, thus, I didn’t either; well, except that time I got lost in the woods and begged God to show me the way home.
To imagine that I would end up not only becoming a follower of Jesus, but spend my adult life in campus ministry was impossible then and still almost beyond comprehension today. And then to examine the winding path of my life since making that decision, seeing the sin from my old life struggling to keep its grip on me, the numerous poor decisions I made along the way, and yet God working it all together for my good and using me to bring glory to His Kingdom, and blessing me in ways I could not have imagined is mind-blowing!
The joy and benefit of getting older as a follower of Jesus is to be able to reflect on His work in your life. None of us begins walking that road as a perfect person. The journey is God’s means to shape us into the man or woman He created us to be. The poor character, the bad habits, the hurts that tend to define us, the wrong thinking, all need to be tended to by the Great Potter who eliminates the defects, smooths the rough edges, and shapes us into something better than we were at the start. This takes time and, sometimes, it’s painful. But the end result is worth it.
As I reflect on my own life, my imperfections were great and I got in God’s way many times, and sometimes still do. And bad things happened which caused me great pain. But God is loving and faithful, and He has made my life into something I could have never imagined when I was young or even after I first met Him. I am blessed far beyond what I could have imagined and far more than I deserve. That, my friends, is the beauty of God!
Today, whether you are just starting this journey, are well down the road, or haven’t even started yet, know God will do much more in and through your life than you can imagine, and whatever bad things have happened, whether they’re your responsibility or someone else’s, He has the power to bring good out of them. Nothing is too bad to stand in His way. My life is evidence of that and yours can be as well, if you will let Him do His work.
© Jim Musser 2016
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