Awesome weekend!

Central Alabama Chrysalis Flight #42/ Journey #7 was a great success. I had the privilege of being an assistant table leader for the journey table, and I gave "The Prodigal" talk. I've given a lot of talks in the past, but that was definitely the hardest yet. It's easy to get up and tell people how they should live their life, like in "Christian Growth Through Study" or "Christian Action". But with this talk, I had to just lay my life and my past out in the open for everyone to see. I shared some very painful things that I've never shared with anyone, let alone almost 50 people. It was really hard, but soooo rewarding. First of all, I gave a lot of emotional baggage over to God that night. I've just kept all these feelings of guilt, resentment, anger, and pain bottled up inside. I feel like I've finally allowed God to take my past and send it where it belongs- to the bottom of the deepest ocean floor. I know that with His help, I can forgive those I haven't forgiven, including myself. I saw so many girls break down that night after my talk. They literally nailed their sins and obstacles to the cross. Knowing that so many people are moving closer to Christ makes everything I've experienced completely worth it. I firmly believe that God had a purpose for every single thing that has happened in my life. I didn't always understand it, but it all played a part in bringing me to where I am today. I know I'm not as mature in my faith as I possibly could be, but God has given me an ability to trust him through ANY circumstances. I seriously doubt that I would have this amount of faith if I hadn't experienced so many painful trials and circumstances. Because of that, I can honestly say that if I was given the chance to go back in time to change the past, I would have to decline. I'm not saying I haven't made mistakes that I regret more than anything, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God's plan for my life has unfolded in HIS own mighty, omnipotent way. It would probably sound crazy to some people, but I thank God for the pain I've known because it's made His power seem that much more glorious.