I had the pleasure of catching up with a friend from “way back” the other day. What a joy to see how God has worked in both our lives over the years! I shared with her, and she with me, some of the difficult roads we had traveled since we last saw each other, some of which we are still traveling. We came to the same conclusion that God uses all things, including the painful ones. Intentionally God is molding us into His image.

     Lately, I had been thinking about different circumstances in my life and saying that “_______is gonna kill me!”  More recently the Lord reminded me that “________”  WAS going to kill me. My flesh would die through this as He intends it to.  As I shared this with my friend she said, “Kathy, if we have to, we are going to limp into heaven.”

     Now this does not sound like a Victory Call but it is. When we die to ourselves, even if our dreams and desires die, we are becoming victorious! As we submit ALL things to our Heavenly Father, and His perfect will for us, we die so He may live stronger in us. When we feel so battle-scarred from this world, even if we are limping into heaven, we are victorious because we have made it through! Yes, I want to finish my race with joy. Yes, I want to finish well! However, if I have to finish by limping or crawling over the finish line and into the presence of the Lord, so be it! All will disappear when I see my Savior face to face! There will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more trials!

     Soon after I wrote this I found two quotes that touched my heart. “Now we catch glimpses of God, then we will see him as he is. Until then, life is not about ease. It’s not about collecting all the treasures and gadgets we can stuff in our pockets. It’s not about turning back or settling down. It’s about keeping to the path until we reach our final destination in the arms of God.” (Ann Spangler, The Peace God Promises, pg 88)

     “Offering yourself to serve Christ and laying down your ALL at the foot of the Cross will change your life! There will be mountains and valleys along your journey and there may be twists and turns that come your way. Keep moving forward under His grace -the blessings that you receive will be greater than you can comprehend.”  (GraceWords by Chris Gillespie, Founder and Executive Director ,Team 413- GraceRunners Ministries.)

     Are you limping today? Each of us are wounded and struggling  but we will make it!

Blessings,Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 years.  They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday School and Bible Studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.