This past weekend I had the privilege of spending time with some 800 women. It was amazing! I met women who were funny, smart, kind, and passionate. I couldn’t help but be re-charged when in the presence of women who were super-charged in their faith.

But of all the things I took away from these women, there was one thing that stood out——–their stories.

Obviously, I didn’t have heart to heart talks with 800 women but I did have deep conversations with at least a dozen of them and “bare-your-soul”convos with six of them. Their stories moved me, and each one of them was about being wrecked. You name it, these women had experienced it. I’ll rattle off a few:

Prodigal son wrecked.

Financial ruin wrecked.

Rape and abortion wrecked.

Sister suicide wrecked.

The weekend should have been characterized by utter carnage. There should have been psychotherapists in every corner helping all of us and our wrecked lives. After all, the circumstances these women described weren’t “I need a tissue for my sniffle story.” No, these were jaw-dropping “How on earth did you survive?” stories.

And yet, not only did they survive.

They thrived.

The healing and restoration in their lives served as testimonies to the healing that occurs when lives are surrendered to Christ. Jesus Christ transforms:

Wrecked and worn into washed and sanctified.

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Cor. 6:11

Wrecked and weak into walks by faith.

“…they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Wrecked and worried into willingness to wait with self-control and patience.

“It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope…” Titus 2:12

Wrecked and wounded into whole and healed.

“…your faith has made you well.”  Luke 17:19

This past weekend God transformed my perception of what it means to be a wreck and you know what sweet DoAheads? It completely wrecked me. (I hope you’ll hop over to Suzie Eller’s #livefree community for more stories on what it means to be wrecked!)

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And now…drum-roll please for the winner of our two book give-a-ways!

April…you won How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird! Abby…you won Breaking Up With Perfect! Please email me your contact information and we will get those in the mail to you!

Next Tuesday I’ll be sharing an awesome gardening tip that I’ve been dying to share. It’s an organic, super-effective weed killer. It’s perfect for around your garden fence. Until then, please stop over at DoAhead’s Facebook page.  I love to stay in touch. Have a great rest of the week!

Your (Smilin’ While She Sits in the Salvage) DoAhead Friend,