"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine."  Isaiah 43:1

One of the best things about being overseas and being surrounded by these missionaries is the abundance of stories. You cannot be around these old saints and not fall in love with God.  

One older gentleman nursed his wife through a debilitating illness for 19..yup, nineteen!! years before she finally passed away. As he was sharing this with me yesterday, watching the tears trickle down my face, he told me he wouldn't have traded those memories for anything.  

"God had been, and is good."  He said this with the face of a true saint.. 

The Christian God is a redemptive God.  This means that everything in our lives can be turned for good if we believe and have faith in Him. 

God desires this..

He is not a tyrant who can't be pleased. He is not looking at us in apathy. God is as tender as the most tender of mothers and as strong as the strongest of fathers. He will not stop the natural consequences of our actions, but He promises to redeem, to make purpose, to make GOOD everything of our lives if we would give ourselves to Him.

Do you believe this?  God has summoned us by name.