Confidently I walked to the podium and smiled at my audience. I didn’t have much to say.
Just one well-practiced paragraph. I knew it inside out. I could say it in my sleep. This was my moment! I was part of a group of teens learning leadership skills and had been asked to participate in a dedication ceremony meant to help us understand the benefits of what we would learn and how it would bless others.
I launched into that passionate paragraph, and to this day I have no idea what it was about. All I remember is three words. Three words I completely demolished. I was supposed to say, “…….which gives us a sense of achievement.” However, what I actually said was “….which gives us a chince of aseevement.”
I heard the words come out of my mouth, and I froze. And then—I started laughing! Soon the audience was laughing! Tears streamed down my cheeks. We all laughed for what seemed like an eternity. Until I tried to talk again. At which time I started laughing again.
The impact of that paragraph was totally lost. The solemnity of the occasion was lost. My budding speaking career was lost. (I was 14, after all.) Today I wonder how is it that three words could throw me into such turmoil? Three words?
We all have our own three words. What are yours? Perhaps…Relationships in trouble. Lost my job. Can’t keep up. Poor past choices. Questioning my faith.
The good news? Even if I never have a great chince of aseevement, God has three words for you and for me: “You are Mine.” God’s three words change everything. Write “you are mine” on three fingers to remind you to thank God for those three words throughout today.
by DeeAnn Bragaw
INFORMATION
Lord, thank you for calling me your own. Those three words mean the world to me!
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
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You’re Designed to Shine
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