A year ago this week, after what seemed like the disastrous culmination of a difficult six months, as it became clear that the end was coming in an area that had been fulfilling and productive, a new journey began. As one ministry friend told me, sometimes it is necessary for God to allow a door to be firmly closed behind us before he allows us to see what awaits behind the next one. That was certainly the case. It is amazing what God’s perfect timing can bring….almost …warp speed progress from an afternoon conversation with a trusted mentor, to an evening in prayer, to a decision the next morning, to a private announcement to others, followed by an unexpected visit that capped off the closing of the door. Within hours the scene behind the new door was just as quickly coming into view. This year of starting Titus 2 Partnership Ministry for Women has truly been a whirlwind. Today the joy in watching lives being changed, the things I have learned in ministry and counseling, the ways in which I have been stretched, new dimensions in my own personal journey with Christ, and other blessings experienced have made the hard times little more than a distant memory. Each day brings more and more for which to be grateful. The cup is not simply “half-full”. It is filled to the brim and overflowing. God had a plan. Jeremiah 29:11’s promise is fulfilled again and again…plans for hope and a future. Always, new beginnings are being wrought out of the ashes of what seemed like disaster. That’s the kind of creative, redemptive, and extravagantly gracious God we love and serve! Happy birthday, Titus 2!
