What I
Need To Share With Others by Shea
Lowery
For many years
I had a heart for reaching people for Christ. But not until a few years ago did
I experience a true heart change. After many years of going back and forth in
my walk with Christ, I rededicated my life to Him and He began an amazing work.
He stepped on the scene of my life and began to strip things from me that
needed to go. Light has three functions, one of which is to reveal what is
there. God turned on His light switch in my heart and revealed its true
condition. He then began His work.
The molding
and shaping process was difficult yet so rewarding. For the next several years,
God would work in my life in amazing ways. He would teach me the importance of
forgiveness, the value of waiting rooms, the importance of prayer and many
other wonderful lessons. But there were a few gray areas I lived in, gray areas
I deemed small and insignificant. It would be months later that I would learn
just how dangerous those gray areas really were.
Because true
surrender under God’s authority had never taken place, I would soon find myself
wandering from my Father once again. I quickly found myself on a road, heading
toward an exit I did not need to take.
God was
warning me to get off this particular road but I rationalized that it would be
okay. In fact, I told God, "I have got this,” and continued down the same
path. Yet God’s persistence of showing red flags and convicting my heart
continued even as I ignored the Spirit’s heeding.
It is of great
importance to note that when God sees danger in our lives, He will caution us
in many different ways. He reached out in every way possible to stop me from
the hurt that was down the road but I thought I knew best. Just like the
prodigal son who decided to take a journey apart from his father’s leading, I
too took a journey that brought much hurt and pain to so many people.
I took the
exit that God had been warning me was coming. And from that decision came one
of the biggest times of brokenness ever in my life. I remember falling into my
bed one night saying, “Lord, You won’t forgive me this time.” Yet too my
amazement, He poured so much love into my heart and held me close through a
very broken time in my life. I had broken His heart with my sin, but His love
for me never changed.
As time went
by, great consequences came because of my sin. I lost the respect of others as
well as a ministry I loved. The discipline of being broken and the resulting
sadness was almost more than I thought I could bear. I remember thinking, “I
may not make it through.” But God's hands picked me up
from out of a pit and showed me His love, mercy, and grace. From a time
of repentance and brokenness came His forgiveness and restoration.
The time came
when God called me to share my story. He took me by the hand and led me through
open doors to share His story for His glory. As I shared my testimony with
others, I began to see God’s hand at work in other people’s lives.
I have moved
forward with the Lord as He has continued to bring restoration to my life. If I
am going to experience all that God has for me, then I must continue to move
forward with Him. Paul said it best in Philippians 3:13, “Brethren, I do not
regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies
ahead.”
So many people
today are hurting in this world. They need to hear, “There is hope.” And when
we share our stories of God’s redemption and restoration, people will find
hope. I am so thankful for what Jesus has done, and
continues to do, in my life. I want to share with this world the love and
restoration story of Jesus Christ.
My theme verse is
Acts 20:24. It states, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to
myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from
the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” And
this is what life is all about — sharing with others the Gospel message.
I believe
there are many who feel God doesn't love them because of their past. They are
living every day in defeat and in sadness. I want to share with them God's love
for them and His desire to restore their lives. He is in the business of “Lives
Being Restored.” I know this first hand because I am a person He redeemed,
rescued and restored. I know my God today in a way I have never known before
and I will never be the same again.
Shea's Ah-hahs To Tweet:
Everyone has a
story: Meet Shea Lowery @shea_lowery founder of
Lives Being Restored (Tweet This)
Shea Lowery: How does God act
when He sees danger in our lives? (Tweet This)
Shea Lowery @shea_lowery shares
how God wants to restore your life. (Tweet This)
Author's Bio:
Shea Lowery is a passionate speaker, writer, and
daughter of Christ. The main theme of her story is a life restored. Shea has
personally walked this journey and has a strong desire to share with others the
hope and restoration that Christ longs to bestow upon all of His beloved
children.
She places no limitations on God and allows Him to
freely lead her to the places that He chooses to send her to share. You can
find Shea at various speaking engagements not limited to conference centers,
homeless shelters, churches, rehabilitation centers and football fields. Her
simple, deep desire is to reach ladies and youth with the love of Christ, no
matter their walk of life, and she’s willing to go and do whatever it takes in
order to reach them.
Shea loves being a mother to her two children and a
nana to her two grand boys. She loves being surrounded by her family and
cherishes the many special times they spend together.
Shea earned a Christian ministry degree from Blue
Mountain College in Blue Mountain, Miss. and is currently working on a master's
degree in Biblical counseling at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in
Fort Worth, Texas. She also is writing her first women's Bible study on
restoration and will be teaching it at her church in Texas in the fall of 2015.
Connect with Shea at:
Great work! I am blessed to the fullest to be able to serve with this Ministry!
ReplyDeleteMark Daniel
Welcome, Mark, to Everyone's Story. Glad to meet you! Have a blessed Christmas.
DeleteVery inspiring!
ReplyDeleteKay, I'm so happy you stopped by for a visit with Shea and me. Have a blessed Christmas.
DeleteThank you Kay. God is so amazing!
DeleteNo matter how far we run from God, he never lets go of our hand! And He's always ready to forgive. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYou're so right, Pat. No matter how much we might shuffle Him to the side at times, forget He loves us because we get so wrapped up in this world and don't "make time," or sink too in despair that we stop looking upward, He always, always calls us by our name and tucks us into His heart. Praise God for all His power and beauty.
DeleteChristmas blessings.
So true Ms Patricia. He loves us so! Thank you for your post.
DeleteWith Christmas just days away, what an awesome time to have Shea Lowery on Everyone's Story. Shea, thank you so much for being my guest this past week. I know your personal testimony has touched many hearts and I pray that it has glorified God and opened many hearts to the amazing Father we have, one who loves has for all of eternity.
ReplyDeleteGod bless all.
Have a joyous Christmas and a peaceful New Year.