Saturday, November 29, 2008

Lifesong In The Limelight/Beckie Stewart

I truly believe that a person's testimony, salvation or otherwise, is one of the most powerful expressions of the Christian faith. I thrive on hearing God-stories. When I had my blog giveaway/contest, I asked for testimonies based on songs affecting one's faith. Well, people submitted, and I was moved. That's where "Lifesong In the Limelight" on Saturdays was born.

Beckie's testimony is about healing, and I hope someone who needs to read it does so today. With her vulnerability and humility, I'm excited for her to be featured as this Saturday's...

Photobucket


On the Journey to Healing
By Beckie Stewart


Without all the gory details, I wish to tell you about the journey the Lord has me on from bondage and brokenness to freedom and wholesomeness. I’m not fully healed and complete right now, but I’m definitely on my way.

I’ve been a Christian for thirty years, but I’ve been living in the wilderness. Like the Israelites who were in bondage in Egypt, it took them forty years to let go of what they knew and embrace the freedom the Lord had for them in the Promised Land. The Lord allowed my present day difficulties to reveal to me my slavery mentality. The Promise Land is around the corner for me now. I know it.

After an awful run-in with a friend of mine, I called a counselor. As a wife of a pastor, this was a difficult step for me. The first several months focused on coming to grips with my present day problems. As I finally learned to lay them daily at the feet of Jesus, I found myself ready to deal with who I had become due to my past.

I’m in the midst of working with a Christian counselor leading me through a therapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). It basically helps you understand your belief system caused by trauma in your life. You are guided through beliefs and incidents to a true understanding of who you really are in Christ.

My drive to my counseling session is forty-five minutes each way, and so on the way, I always listen to our local Christian station. They’re pretty repetitive in their song selection, and so after a while you realize you are listening to a lot of the same music. Do you ever really hear any of it?

However, this last week as I left my intense session and turned on the radio a song came on that said, “Listen closely. This is for you. It’s to give you a hope for your future.”

As I listened to my journey of healing being sung, I realized that the week before, the Lord played this song for me as well. I just didn’t hear it like I did that day.

I know the group Sanctus Real didn’t write this song for me. In fact until I got home to search for the words and author, I never heard of Sanctus Real. However, I know that the Lord had them write this song for me for this time in my life.

The song speaks the rest of my story. Healing is indeed coming.

Whatever You’re Doing
By Sanctus Real

It's time for healing, time to move on.
It's time to fix whats been broken too long.
Time to make right, what has been wrong.
It's time to find my way to where I belong.

There's a wave that's crashing over me,
and all I can do is surrender.

Whatever you're doing inside of me,
it feels like chaos but somehow theres peace.
And it's hard to surrender to what I can't see,
but I'm giving into something heavenly.

time for a milestone, time to begin again,
re-evaluate who I really am.
Am I doing everything to follow your will?
I'm just climbing aimlessly over these hills.

So show me what it is you want from me,
I'd give everything, I surrender to...

Whatever you're doing inside of me.
It feels like chaos but somehow theres peace.
And though it's hard to surrender to what I can't see,
I'm giving into something heavenly.
Something heavenly...

Time to face up, clean this old house.
Time to breathe in, and let everything out,
that I've wanted to say, for so many years.
Time to release some of held back tears.

Whatever you're doing inside of me,
it feels like chaos but I believe...

You're up to something bigger than me,
larger than life, something heavenly.

Whatever you're doing inside of me,
it feels like chaos but now I can see...
This is something bigger than me,
larger than life, something heavenly.
Something heavenly...

It's time to face up, clean this old house.
Time to breathe in, and let everything out.


Here is the song for you to listen to:



Beckie Stewart is a mom of 5 who loves Jesus with all her heart, soul, and mind. She would tell you her greatest joy is loving and serving Him and then my family and friends.

She enjoys writing devotions, articles on adoption, and articles to encourage daily Godly living. Visit her devotional website, God's Gracious Gems, for practical spiritual lessons that glorify Jesus Christ.



In the Key of HE,

8 friends shared a comment:

Kim @ Homesteader's Heart said...

Wonderful testimony. I am ever so thankful that His mercies are new EVERY morning.
Blessings
Kim

Terri Tiffany said...

This was wondeful to read! Tell her thank you for being willing to open and share.

Denise said...

Such a beautiful testimony.

Joanne Sher said...

Just beautiful, Beckie, and such hope. Thank you for writing it, Beckie, and thank YOU, LauraLee, for sharing it with us.

Susan Storm Smith said...

This was awesome, so heart touching and as clergy understand the strength of the underlying message we often dismiss. Very touched by the posting. Thanks much

Laury said...

I love this song. Laura, thank you so much for posting Beckie's testimony. I know her personally. She is a Godly woman who strives to come closer and closer to her Savior every day.

She's done so much for me and continues to pray faithfully. I love Beckie. She is an awesome local friend I met through FW.

Josh said...

Thank you Beckie for sharing your wonderful testimony of hope. We all get to a point where we need healing in our lives, and it's an encouragement to know that God is mending the wounds of your life. If He can do it for you, then He can do it for all. Praise God!

Thank you Laura for posting this. These testimonies are awesome.

Patty Wysong said...

Wow. What a testimony!
Blessings, Beckie--you're so very special!
Huggles to both of you!