Encounters With God: Tracee Persiko

Today's guest post is from blogger extraordinaire Tracee Persiko.  Tracee is one of the very first people I came to know and love through Twitter, and her insights into faith are always inspirational and encouraging.  You can spend more time with Tracee by visiting her blog and website at http://traceepersiko.wordpress.com/ or by following her on Twitter @TraceePersiko.  I know you will be touched by her post- be sure and leave comments to encourage her!

In the Midst
Stories are the things that change lives and situations. Life stories bring hope, dreams, courage, strength, love, joy, compassion, forgiveness, and grace. Stories change minds and hearts.

The bible is filled with countless life stories of people who were changed by encounters with Jesus. I am always amazed that I can read through the scriptures and find any one of my hearts circumstances in another person’s story.

The greatest thing about God is that he always meets people where they are.

My life story is filled with the ups and downs of grief and brokenness. My encounter with God came at the intersection of having just given my life to Christ and my family falling apart.

I was introduced to who Jesus was when I was 16 years old on a Young Life retreat. I did not grow up in a Christian home, but one that “attended” church. I realized on that retreat that I was living in a broken relationship with him and need forgiveness. Little did I know that this realization of forgiveness would play out in more of a real way then I thought possible.

Just after my junior year of high school started, my father confessed to having an affair and was leaving. Everything that made sense no longer looked comprehensible. Life fell apart. The road my life was headed down all of a sudden dropped off with no other visible side.

 In the midst of the chaos of my emotions and heart, God became more real to me than anything else. He became all that was comprehensible in my life. In the midst of a time where trust, love, and hope were shattered, he became the living form for all of those things.

God is an “in the midst” kind of God.

At times, it feels weird to still be working through the ripple effects of grief from that day, but it has forever changed me.

Here is the truth of what I know about life- it is filled with brokenness and messy hearts. We are a fallen people who consistently miss the mark. However, here is the truth I know about God – he always matches the depths of our grief and pain with his love and grace.

God has consistently met me deep in the midst of my life’s brokenness. I can honestly say that he has matched the depths of my grief with his love, as well as loved me in the redirection of my own failures. God wants to be in the midst.

The bible has story after story of Jesus meeting people in the midst of their own life’s brokenness. My life requires his encountering to survive it all.

What are you encountering God in the midst of?