What if my place is...

Today I returned from a womens conference in Michigan at Miracle Camp. It was a first for me on many levels. I drove us there & back. I spoke. And… it was my first trip to Miracle Camp. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, a respite to my soul.

I think my favorite part of the weekend was getting to know other women from my church. Why does it take a 4 hour trip to bond with people I worship with on a weekly basis? I guess it's the busyness of life. I was deeply touched by the kindness shown by many of the women who attended this conference.

I didn't speak until 4 in the afternoon. I was fine until the five minute countdown. My heart began to race. It's an uncontrollable thing that happens to me. It's enough to take my breath away. Somehow, I managed to hold myself together & share my story. It was my story over the last 4 years of life. My audience consisted of 40 women.

I will never know quite what sharing my story did for others that day. I couldn't read the faces in my audience as I spoke. Yes… at the end, some of them touched my heart with words of encouragement. I was relieved, but at the same time drained. I felt like I had been crying for days (only I had not). Strange. I'm thinking it had to do with an adrenaline rush & let down.

My story was entitled Ashes to Beauty. It's a story of loss, a story of struggle,  a story most of all of hope & restoration. It's a story of thankfulness for my journey. The theme of the keynote speaker this weekend was "Take your place." The speaker, Teasi Cannon was remarkable. So funny yet full of depth. Her humor kept my attention. Her lessons have made an impression on my heart. It remains to be seen what their impact will do in my life.

It seems to me Teasi was saying that our purpose is to glorify God. Whatever our profession, our circumstances, our place, take it, & glorify God. The realization came to me that my place is unlike anybody else's place. The people in my group all seemed to be healthy. That was a big topic of the weekend. What if my place is to be the Survivor who glorifies God?