You CAN change your life!

My husband and I have always taught our children that there are consequences to actions but when you make a mistake, own it, take responsibility and learn from it. If you do this, there is grace and forgiveness and your mistake doesn’t have to define you.

Unfortunately we live in a culture that loves to label people. "You’re too short", "You’re too skinny", "You’re a troublemaker" "You will never amount to anything".

In our humanity we will never get it right all the time, in fact we can get it really wrong and make a mess of our lives but every road has a u-turn ahead for those that want to change.

U-turns take courage, strength, persistence, resilience and may require you to walk away from people that will try to stop you from making that change.

For my friend Teresa Stanfield, that u-turn came at a pretty low point in her life. Have a listen to her story.

I have the privilege of working with Teresa at Prison Fellowship and she is such an inspiration to me. My journey is so different to hers but her courage and commitment to changing her life, restoring her family and then walking alongside others wanting to do the same is the closest example of Jesus’ love for us that I’ve experienced.

If you ask Teresa, she will tell you that it hasn’t been an easy journey. Each day holds its own challenges but each step moves her forward and the rewards along the way are worth it!

In fact she says in the video “God's replacing everything the enemy stole from my family!". "I get to be a mommy! My children are such a blessing. I never thought I could do life sober, but God had a much different plan. Here we are 10 years later, and my son is graduating from high school, and my daughter will be in the fifth grade. I'm blown away by the restoration that's taken place in my relationships today. All glory to God."

John 3:16-17 (MSG) says ‘This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted’

Don’t allow past labels or mistakes to define your future. YOU CAN CHANGE! Jesus gave his life for you so that you can live the life he intended for you - a life that is full of hope, that is whole and lasting. And even though there are hard days, the rewards along the way will be worth it.

Take Teresa’s encouragement to heart 'We are each on a unique journey, and our experiences can be used to help someone else. Trust God. He's with you each step to lead you to discover who you really are.'

God is FOR you! You were created for great things! Find people that will encourage you on your journey and remember I’ll be cheering you on - nothing is final until God says so!

For more information about;

Prison Fellowship - prisonfellowship.org

Celebrate Recovery - celebraterecovery.com