Hey everyone!! I am super stoked for World Race and where God is bringing me. I really felt like God was leading me to becoming a missionary, but before I had come to really know Christ, I wasn’t living a Christ-like life. As some of you know, I have Type One Diabetes and sometimes it’s a blessing, and a burden. Before I was diagnosed, I was living a lukewarm life: sometimes in Christ, sometimes in the world. I had started to become sicker as the days went by and I wasn’t getting any better. After multiple doctors’ appointments, they tested me for some things and concluded that I was diabetic. My mother, my dad, and I headed to the hospital where they confirmed I did have type one. I was so mad at God, I questioned why I deserved this, and I decided to end the on and off relationship we had. A couple of days later I had gone home and started to live my new life. After that, I was doing well with my new disease and my aunt invited me to go see God’s Not Dead and so I went. As I was watching the movie, a character said this quote, “Sometimes the devil allows people to live a life free of trouble, because he doesn’t want them turning to God” and in that moment, I knew that God wasn’t punishing me, He was releasing me from the chains the devil put on my life that I couldn’t see. Ever since then, I have been improving my relationship with God. Each day, He gives me reminders, I guess you could say, but reminders that He still controls everything!! I decided to call my blog ‘Walking on Water’ because I was so focused on the waves instead at looking at Jesus. When I started to sink, and I called His name, He IMMEDIATELY picked me up from the water. The beautiful thing about God’s love, is that He doesn’t base it on our past, our mistakes, our sin, our baggage. He continues to love us all the same. He didn’t say to me, “Oh Gracie, I’m sorry you were angry at Me a while ago, but I’ll be back in a few, see ya!” He did not say that, at all!!! He picked me up, even though I was angry at Him and hated Him. The song by NEEDTOBREATHE says this, “Though I falter, You got me walking on water.” Even though I fail, and I fall, God still picks me up and brings me in the boat with Him.
Matthew 14:22-33: “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
I hope that God speaks to those who feel like they are sinking and there is no way that Jesus could ever forgive them or who don’t think He won’t save you, but my sweet friends He loves you so dearly!! He died on a cross for you and died an unbearable death to save you, but p.s. He is risen and beat death!!!! And He leaves the 99, for the one, which is you.
Matthew 18: 12-14: “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”
