From Darkness to Light by Dr. Lisa Burkhardt Worley
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5, NIV).
Have you ever accomplished something you never dreamed you would accomplish?
That’s how I feel about the Doctor of Ministry degree I just earned from King’s University. After four years of study and writing a mammoth paper, I walked across the graduation platform and was “hooded” as a doctor.
My father, whom I never knew, was a medical doctor. I was always proud of his achievement, but did not think it was in the plan for my life to pursue a degree beyond a Master’s. I was wrong. God made it clear that advanced education was his direction for my life, so I worked at it with diligence. Because the LORD called me to it, I desired to make my heavenly Father proud (Colossians 3:23-24).
As I reflect on graduation week, I see this degree as a beautiful pearl. Just as a pearl takes years of irritation in an oyster to form, I experienced years of dysfunction due to being fatherless at birth. However, the Lord has redeemed the heartache, the loneliness, and the sense of loss, and has amazingly called me to be a doctor like my father, just in a different way. I am a doctor who ministers and prescribes spiritual healing, something I love to do. I am praying that both my earthly and heavenly fathers are in Heaven, smiling right now; however, I could have never finished without the LORD guiding me throughout the process.
How has the Lord created pearls in your life? How long is your strand?
I have found that when we surrender our lives to the LORD, God can take the darkest of times and make something beautiful out of them. Psalm 18:28 says, “You, LORD, keep my lamp burning. My God turns my darkness into light.” Our Heavenly Father is in the business of redeeming lives. A good father wants his children to succeed, and if we let Him, He will always push back the darkness so that we can be bright lights and beautiful pearls shining for Him. There is no darkness that cannot be overcome. God can make our futures bright—if we let Him.
#
Our latest devotional book, Treasure, is another pearl! It was named the “Best Christian Non-Fiction Book” by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards! If you have not purchasedTreasure, it is not too late! Lane Jordan Burday and Lisa Burkhardt Worley, along with the POP Team, combined their talents to write the book, which is full of wonderful inspiration. You will be inspired by the messages, and receive daily treasure as God will speak to you through His Holy Spirit. To buy Treasure just click on the Amazon link that takes you directly to the page. https://tinyurl.com/2uj9sn5x.