So this week has been a rough week for me. My weekend was emotionally, mentally and physically exhausting. The beginning of my week was much the same. I ran a quick errand yesterday and spent the rest of the afternoon in. Praying, reading the bible, listening to music and writing. Went to church last night and had an ah-ha moment. The service spoke to me personally, AGAIN this week, for the 3rd time since Sunday. Woke up with a migraine this morning so I attempted to sleep but I couldn't so I got up, did my devotions, had some prayer time and started to write a letter along with some notes about last nights service. Before I knew it, I had 10 pages and don't remember writing much of it. After 3 hours of writing, I looked back at what I had wrote and was like, "WHOA! Where did that come from?!" I asked God to speak through me and I feel like that is EXACTLY what He did. I'm going to copy & paste a very small portion of my letter here because I feel like more than just the person my letter is addressed to could benefit from it. At least, I pray that is the case because even I slapped myself in the face with my own letter. I've been doing that a lot lately. I pray that these words bless you as much as they blessed me.
I've always heard that God was in the restoration business but I was watching a video on a friend's page about why he named his business "Retread Gear" and I like it described that way better. I'll explain. He says that he was a broken man and he reached out to an older couple. The gentleman told my friend, Greg, that God was in the retreading business and asked if he could pray for him. I loved his explanation. Because I am a magnet for useless knowledge, I looked up retreading tires, who uses them and if they are safe. Not only do people who use retread tires save 30-50% on replacement tires but if they are properly cared for, they will last as long as a comparable new tire. They can be driven in any condition or speed that a new tire can but at a much cheaper rate. To be okayed for retreading, a tire goes through inspection to locate any visible and non-visible damage. When it meets the standards, the old tread is buffed away and the new tread is applied. Specific industries that use retread tires include but are not limited to the military, aerospace, education and transportation. The thing that amazes me about God being in the retreading business is that we don't have to pass inspection before He buffs away all the old. He knows that we are going to have visible cracks and he knows better than anyone that we are going to have non visible cracks. He doesn't require us to be perfect before he applies new tread. He only requires us to be in a relationship with Him, confess our sins as sin and bear fruit. When he retreads us, He makes us much stronger than before. There are going to be curbs, nails and shards of glass along the way. Truckers usually retread their tires 2 or 3 times but thankfully, God doesn't limit us to how many times we can mess up. If He did, we would probably all be doomed before we even became teenagers. Don't let the curbs, nails and shards of glass stop you from reaching your destination. The devil puts things in our path to keep us stuck on the side of the road. Let him be your roadside service! John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." He is stronger than your problem so allow him to take control. Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Let him give you strength through the storm! Take EVERYTHING to God. Pour your heart out to Him. Give Him ALL your worries. Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Find purpose in your struggles and praise him in the storm. James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
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