In the last couple months I’ve told you all about the miracles I’m believing for this year, but this week God asked that those miracles not be just limited to me — He’s asking that I believe for the miracle it would be for some of the most hopelessly broken and difficult people I know to be transformed by the power of Jesus. (They need to be. )
But it all starts with loving them the way my daughter loves the sunrise.
Elated she bolts into my room every morning, barreling through the door and hurling herself into the my bathroom at dawn’s break.
“Mommy, come herrrrrrrreeee! Quick! You’re going to miss it!!!” my five-year old shouts out like clockwork.
And there I find her everyday, perched atop the bathtub as she watches another day be ushered in by the sunrise that paints the sky. Some days there’s more of a sunrise to celebrate than others, but every day she wakes up expectant of what God could do. She’ll do it again tomorrow, and the next day.
And it’s challenging me in all sorts of ways.
You see, I come from a long line of judgmental christians. We wouldn’t call ourselves that of course, we would tell you we value truth, justice, and repentance, all while steaming in our own self-righteousness and completely missing the heart of Jesus.
But in the last three years (shout out to my darkest days!) I’ve experienced the compassionate and unfailing love of Jesus for myself. I wouldn’t be breathing or still married if I hadn’t.
And now, God’s asking that I extend that same love to others…
There is a story in the Bible – really just one verse – that is rocking my world right now. The story begins when Jesus is walking down the street and comes upon a hopeless cause — a man who had been blind since birth. Interestingly, those closest to Jesus begin asking questions, casting judgment, and pointing fingers as to who was to blame for this man’s undoing. All while they themselves, completely miss the heart of Jesus. That’s often the case, isn’t it?
But Jesus put them in their place.
Jesus responded by saying, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame… Look instead for what God can do.“(John 9:3-5 MSG)
And then, shocker… God heals the hopelessly blind man they were bickering about. (God’s good like that, isn’t He?)
You see, a mere three years ago, my husband was addicted, I was mentally unstable, and we both were certain our marriage and ministry were over (And I wrote about it all it on this blog.) But looking back on it, do you know what I wish? I wish those who knew of my hopelessness, would have ‘looked instead for what God could do’ with my hopelessness…
I wish there would’ve been people who saw our impending divorce as more room for God’s deliverance, and I wish they would have spoken that over me on the days I could barely make it out of bed. I wish more people would have run to us in expectation of who God is and what He could do, and that fewer people would have run away because of who we were and why we didn’t deserve it.
Because, shocker… God would heal my husband, give my life new meaning, and infuse my marriage and our ministry with a passion and a purpose that today, is as profound as it is unstoppable. (Again, God’s good like that, isn’t He?)
If only we loved in expectation of God’s restoration in people’s lives…
The world needs more people who will look at brokenness the way my daughter looks at the sunrise: as an opportunity to watch the glory of God be painted across the darkest skies.
And everyday, that’s exactly what God is inviting us to do.
Every morning God is barging through our door, inviting us to get front row seats to watch Him breathe beauty into the darkest days of people’s lives with the same precision He uses to pen the morning skies. Some days there will be more to celebrate than others. But God isn’t asking that we love people in denial that the darkness exists, God’s asking that we love people in expectancy of the sun rising — of the sun rising on broken marriages, “unrepentant pastors”, and cold-hearted New Yorker’s, to name a few.
Truth is, everyone will watch the miracle unfold. Even the critics and the curious will be astonished at the ways God will work to transform the most unloveable and broken people.
…but like my daughter, the expectant will have the best vantage point.
The question is: will we be shocked by God’s miraculous healing in someone’s life, or will we be the ones that believed for it? Because I speak from experience when I say God won’t leave his children lying in the mud for long (Even when, *gasp* …they deserve it.)
“Come quick! You’re going to miss it,” God is calling out to us today, inviting us to leave our questions and our finger-pointing behind, and instead get expectant of what only He can do.
To be sure, some days there will be more to celebrate than others, but in the end God’s transformative power will leave us speechless and astonished…
The best sunrises and redemption stories always do.
// 52 weeks to write, 43 more to go. //
Krista Ortiz 
What an awesome post, Krista!
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That’s beautiful! Thank you.
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Krista, I absolutely love this post! I’m so grateful for your words. My son is 24 & in 2013, he was witness to his girlfriend’s murder. 2 men came in to rob them and shot and killed his 18 yr old gf in the bed. They had been selling marijuana. I had no idea. They didn’t kill my son, well at least they didn’t take his life, but his spirit, that’s another story. He tried to take his own life a few months later. He’s not a suspect, he wasn’t arrested, but he was put through hell, paraded on local news because he “wasn’t cooperating” which wasn’t true at all. Anyway, people asked me if I was embarrassed. I was disappointed and broken but embarrassed no. I feel like sometimes the things we go through as Christians, and my son was literally raised at the church, we never missed, he never missed a youth group or service or trip. I feel sometimes God has us go through things that have nothing to do with us. We will cross paths at some point where we can be used by God to help others. I feel that’s why we as Christians must share our stories, or experiences, good, bad, embarrassing, all of them so others will know we’ve weathered the storms because of God, or so we can be God’s stewards and help others weather storms we’ve already weathered. My son is filled with anger towards God, police, government, everyone. He’s broken and the light is not in him anymore. He is my son and I’m trying to love him through this. He won’t go to counseling. He’s living life as if he’s never known God at all. Our pastor cried because he poured into me and my 2 sons their entire youth. I’m praying for you and your family and I love hearing what God has done and is doing to restore things in your life. Your blog helps us. I’m thankful for you.
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Wow, Katherine. My heart hurts for you and your son and the difficult journey you both have been on. Believing with you that one day God will use the dark days you are in to point so many others to Him! Praying God will refresh your spirit and renew your strength to love your son the way He does! Thanks for reaching out and sharing your story with me, it means more than you know.
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Krista, during that darkest time that you were experiencing, I too was in a bondage of my own. I would read how God was blessing and prospering you and I believed one day He would do the same for me… Through your posts I received strength and hope to carry on. On Feb 03, 2016, God did deliver me from all bondage. Period. So don’t ever think that there weren’t people who believed in what God could accomplish in and through you and them as well. Your messy story gives others hope and courage for the journey that they are on. I for one appreciate you!
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WOW!!! Praise God!!! That is amazing!!!! I am so glad that you are encouraged by what God has been teaching me over the years, but more than that I am SO GLAD you were delivered from bondage as well!!!! What an unfailing father!!! Thank you for reaching out and sharing part of your story with me, it blesses me to hear stories of how God is working in other’s lives! Celebrating with you.
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Krista, during your darkest times I was religiously following your blog reading how God was blessing and prospering your family through your messy story. I was believing that He would do the same for me one day and He did! He released me from a form of bondage one year ago this month. ( A bondage sometimes feeling too much to bare.) So don’t ever think that there weren’t people who believed in what God could and would do in and through you. We were watching it happen as we followed your blog. You are an inspiration to others…
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My first comment went away and I had to start over. Now I see it. Where is the delete button on this site? Lol
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Krista you are so right!! I went through a very similar situation and am still working through it. Most people didn’t believe in my miracle, including most Christians. WHEN DID WE STOP BELIEVING GOD FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE? God is God and the opportunities are endless! We need to encourage each other to believe past what we can see and we will start to see God move in ways we would’ve never thought! I held onto my miracle and now I’m having my first baby after everyone told me how infertile I was! With God all things are possible and I couldn’t agree more. Let’s love people enough to believe for them!!
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YESSSSS!!! Tara, you get this!!! You are so right, if only we could start believing past what we see we would see God move in ways we would never have imagined!!! I couldn’t agree more!!! Celebrating your sweet baby!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!! Thanks for sharing part of your story with me, it blesses me so much!!! When are you due by the way? Do you know if you are having a boy or a girl? Celebrating god’s goodness with you.
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