Strength Found In Weakness

By  Diane K. Chamberlain

Many times, we see weakness as a place of failure where we live with pain, heartache, and despair and this is what I thought my life was going to be.  My life always felt as though it was taking a nosedive to a place of permanent defeat until God began to work in a way I never thought could be.

After learning about a congenital problem in both my knees as a young girl I never thought  my life would go in a direction that would lead me down a road of multiple knee surgeries from the age of seven to the age of forty-five. As time passed, even more was added to my plate through the loss of children and the memory of a past sexual abuse.  As each circumstance piled high upon the others, my life began to feel so overwhelmed and out of control, that I could not see any real purpose for my life and even began to question God’s love for me.

Many times, I would try to figure out the purpose behind so much pain and heartache, until one day, God’s timing began to allow me to view the true purpose for my life.  As I began to surrender the pain and heartache over to God, He began to exchange these moments with His words of love and encouragement.  As I continued to follow His lead and walk in the footprints that He had laid out for me, I began gradually to see the reason behind each painful moment in my life. I came to see He was transforming my heart to hear His voice and encourage me by His loving presence.

As time has passed over the years of my life, God has allowed me to share the words He gave me as a means of encouraging others who live in despair through my ministry–A Refuge thru the Storm along with five published books of inspiration.  Life can become one difficult journey and we can question the purpose for our existence. But when we choose to focus on God who already knows the plan for our lives, rather than focusing on our circumstances, then God will give us a clear view of the pathway. He longs for us to follow.

Now I have been in ministry for ten years and God continues to teach me more about His love for me. As He brings these special gifts into my life, He also continues to lead me to those who could use a special gift of encouragement.  When we choose to pursue our lives according to God’s plan, while ignoring the words that our circumstances try to dictate to us, then we will have the heart that can open up the way for God to walk in and make our lives complete.

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As a child Diane lived in the outskirts of a small town in Michigan, where we only lived a pathway away from where my favorite great-grandfather lived. I loved his place because he had an orchard with all kinds of things to enjoy and explore. While playing outside one day, with my brothers and sister, I suddenly fell to the ground, while experiencing a great amount of pain. Little did I know that this first doctor's visit would take me on a long journey...through 21 major knee operations, in an attempt to correct a congenital problem in both of my knees. To this day, I still live with a deteriorating left knee and a rod in my right leg.

Diane can be found at A Refuge thru the Storm Ministry Link: www.jesuscarechildrenministryus.org  &  DianKChamberlain@aol.com

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