I was given an amazing gift last Christmas. I’ve wanted to tell you about it for some time, but I’ve waited. Some stories just take more time.

The gift is a framed photograph of three absolutely beautiful little girls. They are my adopted granddaughters, and they are in heaven where I can’t wait to meet them one day. They lost their lives in a tragic fire, and I met their momma in prison in 2012.

Did you have to pause reading to catch your breath? I have to catch my breath every single time I look at their picture on my desk. I keep it there because I want to see it often, and I want to be reminded. Not of pain. Not of loss. Not of death. But of the unconditional love of God and the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. Of redemption and healing and restoration. Of powerful narratives that can be woven through our shame and brokenness. Of living testimonies that are life-changing witness to others.

I wish you could meet their momma, too. She is one the most amazing women I know. She has taken every painful part of her past and is allowing God to use it for His glory. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, people talk and judge. Yes, she feels inadequate. Yes, she might fail.

And God reminds her to fear not.
And God’s opinion is what matter most.
And God is strong.
And God doesn’t fail.

She is taking every “but” the world might throw in her face, and changing it into an “and” about her God! She knows who she used to be, but more importantly, she knows who she is in Christ now. And most importantly, she knows who her God is. Hers is a true GloryStory.

May you be encouraged in your past, in your pain, in your shame, in your weakness, in your fear, in your failure, in your doubt. May you surrender all of it to God. May you allow Him to take your brokenness and use it for His glory. It’s exactly what Jesus did with Peter, Paul, Zaccheaus, the Samaritan woman at the well, and the list goes on. It’s exactly what He wants to do with each of us… create powerful narratives that change our lives and the lives of others! May yours be the next GloryStory!

It’s not about who you are, it’s about who your God is. And when we know Him, we will make Him known!