It's Complicated

April 30th. It's complicated. Have you ever received a gift from a young child?

It's precious. There's no doubt about that. But most likely, it also left a lot to be desired.

I'm sure it was not perfectly wrapped jewelry or a carefully designed edible arrangement.

The truth is, a child's gift can be kind of messy.

But we're not appalled by the imperfections because of our love and affection for the child.

In the same way, our lives can be difficult to sort out.

But God is not deterred by these messy complications.

Today, we'll hear from a woman whose life was a string of difficulties.

But in this place, she learned God can shine the brightest.

She's here to share her true story.

On this unshackled, daily devotional.

I'm Teresa, and my marriage failed because I was blind to the truth.

When we married, I controlled the relationship. I set the goals, and I didn't let my husband lead.

By the time our fifth child was born, he was drinking and having an affair.

When I confronted him, he abandoned us, moved to California and remarried.

Although I had failed his wife, I was determined to be a good mother.

I worked, but there was never enough money.

My in-laws helped, but my mother-in-law couldn't forgive me for the failed marriage.

Her oldest daughter died of a brain tumor at 13.

Her love for Christ was obvious, but the other children became rebellious as teenagers.

My sister pointed me to the Bible for help, and one night, reading the Bible,

I prayed for forgiveness and turned my life over to God.

He began to change my heart.

As I forgave others, my children all came to Christ.

I went to work for a Christian ministry.

When my mother-in-law was dying of cancer, I took a leave of absence to take care of her.

Before she died, she forgave me and received Christ as her Lord and Savior.

I hadn't seen my former husband for 23 years when he came to see his dying mother.

I told him about Christ, but he rejected the gospel.

Shortly after that, as he divorced for the second time, his wife called, and I led her to Christ.

Our youngest son is a missionary in Brazil, and when he came home on furlough,

we invited his father to Thanksgiving dinner.

Only God could bring that kind of love and forgiveness to a family like ours.

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7 verse 24,

brethren, let every man wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

Friend, when Paul wrote this statement, he had just finished describing several challenging situations

that faced the new believers.

Their hearts had been dramatically changed, but their situations had not.

Yet Paul reminds them that God can use them exactly where they are,

because our circumstances do not determine if God can work through us.

He is the Lord of making order out of chaos.

We need only to follow Him.

Will you receive this truth today?

Unshackled, the longest running audio drama in history airs on over 3000 radio stations worldwide.

Real people, real life stories, stirring dramatic accounts of hopelessness,

and the hope that changes everything.

This award-winning program grips the heart with compelling and relevant stories of transformed lives.

Without Jesus Christ, we are all shackled by sin.

By our wrong choices, disobedience, and selfish motives.

But God is at work, and the power of Christ sets us free of our bondage.

We are Unshackled.

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