Adopted by God

A year ago I was at Maranatha. I was at the prayer tower with the teen program. We had gone through the stations for the prayer walk. I sat in the prayer tower as communion was taken, as cardboard testimonies were shared, and as voices rang out singing praises.
That morning when I walked though the prayer walk God was only the person I knew about my whole life. Never much more than that.
By the time I left the prayer tower, He was the one who loved me and the one I gave up everything for.
Something changed. Something had been changing in me all summer.
God was trying to catch me. He was pursing me. He wanted me as his own.
Every situation that had happened in my life was all leading up to this.
God just kept talking to me.
He was shutting out the lies that I had heard all my life.
Me running my life trying to make everything go right was not working out so well. I am an in-perfect human. I was born a sinner and always will be. Yet, I have this God who loves me beyond all. He sent his son to die for me. All my sins are washed away.
Praying that prayer gave me the feeling being clean. It as if I could feel the past just being washed away.
For the first time in my life, I felt complete and utter Peace. I was filled with joy. Joy comes from Christ. Happiness is just a temporary feeling that is on earth. No more constantly wondering when I would be happy again. God was in control. It took so much weight of my shoulders.
I was so happy. I felt like a little girl who just wanted to twirl under the sun all day. I did not have a care in the world. All I knew was Jesus loved me.
I was that NEW CREATION!
My life verse that still holds the promise for me. I have it posted in multiple places that I see every day.

2 Corinthians 5:17
       Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has GONE, the new has COME.

God is not finished with me. He is just getting started. I am being healed more and more every single day.
I would not trade this past year for anything. God has taught me so much. I wish that I could sit here and explain everything, but there is so much. I just know that I am never going to be finished rediscovering how much God loves me.
Time after time I mess up, but God is there to catch me.
As I look back on this past year-I see God everywhere. I love that. All I want is for Christ to shine through every part of my life. He is my first love. He is the only thing I want and need. The song Everything by Life House just captures this.
                               
                               Jesus came and found me.
                                              I am His.
                      I am a daughter of the King of Kings.
           I have been adopted into the best family in the world.
      Best of all. I am always going to be loved. Just the way I am.

Lamentations 3:22-24
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

With Love,
Hannah Louise