Peripety? What the heck does that mean?

According to Dictionary.com the definition of peripety is a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal (especially in a literary work).   I came across this word during a Beth Moore Bible study (Esther) video that I saw the other morning.  In all my 36 years here on this earth I have never heard of this word (but I bet there are plenty of words that I've never heard before...).  Side note: this strange sounding word makes me want to sing "Parumpapapum"!


I thought it was interesting to hear Beth Moore- in all her southern glorious accent talk about most people not being able to recognize a divine peripety in their own lives!  I, on the other hand, was immediately drawn to the event of all events that completely reversed the path I was headed down!  The event in question occurred back in August 2004 and I would have to pinpoint it right down to hearing these words uttered to me, "I can't find the baby's heartbeat".  That hinge in my life was like getting smacked in the face by a swinging door- stunning and  shocking!  But if I had never miscarried, the event leading up to my suicide attempt, then my divorce, and finally my surrender to God would not have turned me around!  You see, I wasn't really walking down the path God chose for me, I was creating my own path, stubborn as I was, finding myself unfulfilled in a Godless marriage and dancing with the devil.

Today I see things differently... it was then that I was lost, blind, mute, and deaf.  Today I have abundant life flowing through me.  A life filled with Christ, living for Him and not for myself.  


My favorite Scripture verse is Jeremiah 29:11 - 


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."


What at first appeared to me as "harm" actually became hope, His hope and a future to be in heaven with Him!

The Fingerprints of God

I woke up this morning, thinking about how faithful God has been to me, protecting me from many potential disasters...

I shared my testimony at The Gathering last Thursday and added to my story that even before I knew God, He was there protecting me... I had life-saving, emergency surgery at 3 days old to correct a mal-rotation of my intestines, which if I didn't have the surgery I would have surely died from malnutrition (since I was unable to keep any food down).  And while the doctors had me open they removed my appendix which was on the wrong side.

What came to mind this morning was God's hands of protection around me one summer weekend afternoon while visiting family in Arizona as a young child.  I recall splashing around in some running water across the street from my cousin's house to escape the heat of the hot desert sun!  I, along with my sister and cousins kicked up the running water (where the sidewalk and pavement met) at one another laughing and cooling off at the same time.  When all of a sudden we were across the street, 4 or 5 houses down the block, without a care in the world.  Slowly driving toward us was a man in a brown sedan... something very suspicious stood out about this man.  All my cousins and sister ran home before I knew what was going on.  God made me aware that I was needing to find a safe haven, that this man could be dangerous so I ran to the nearest house!  Ringing the doorbell and frantically knocking at a neighbor's door, I was shielded by tall trees that blocked the view from the street, but no one answered.  I was so scared and didn't know what else to do...

I finally heard my aunt from across the street telling me it was safe to cross the street and come back home.  As the story goes, all the kids ran home and told my aunt there was a car creeping down the block and I was still outside.  She went outside to the edge of her lawn with hands on her hips, staring down the man in the car -  daring him to be on his way!

There is more evidence in my life that God has always been there and it makes me wonder about the things I don't know that He has spared me and protected me from?  If my life was a crime scene, I'm sure God's fingerprints would be all over my life!