"You cannot amputate your past from your destiny."

This is a post from Beth Moore's Bible study Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman. The Bible study is a week long "homework" study with a Sunday afternoon group video session that we watch her talk about the next week's information. She used this quote on the first week of our session and since we didn't have our books yet I was a little lost, but it was still really good.

As I began thinking and mulling over this quote I began to see exactly what God was trying to show me through it. As most of my blogger friends have read through my journey I have mended fences with my "family", the Browns. Since then, though, I have felt that God closed that chapter in my life and I'm totally ok with it. I haven't spoken to or heard from them in over 5 months. I am pregnant now and haven't told them, and don't feel a desire or need to tell them about it. That's a totally ok thing for me. I have done my part and have found forgiveness for Bobby and closed that part of the book....BUT!!! I still have a past that God is using to shape me. I have often thought about trying to forget about it and pretend that it didn't ever happen. My wise grandmother even told me that I cannot get rid of it...it DID happen. It's a part of who I am and a piece of the puzzle that God is using to make my life into His masterpiece.

Thank you, Lord, for knowing better than me. Thank you for giving me the heritage that I have and using it to shape me. Thank you for the hard times. Thank you for the good times. Thank you for all the stuff that has happened over the years that makes me who I am today.