Broken and Beautiful. Julie Woodley

      Broken and Beautiful

      31 Days from Healing to Joy

      Copyright © 2016 Julie Woodley. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

      Resource Publications

      An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

      199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

      Eugene, OR 97401

      www.wipfandstock.com

      paperback isbn: 978-1-5326-0229-0

      hardcover isbn: 978-1-5326-0231-3

      ebook isbn: 978-1-5326-0230-6

      Manufactured in the U.S.A. October 20, 2016

      Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, unless otherwise noted. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

      Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

      Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Public Domain).

      I dedicate this devotional to the many Wildflowers that our ministry has been able to faithfully reach. You are my heroes! From Africa, to Ireland, to the rural communities and big cities in the United States, there are Wildflowers blooming everywhere. I love you all. Dare to hope again. God has an incredible plan for you and me; let’s reach out and plant other Wildflowers.

      Foreword

      These highly personal devotional writings of Julie Woodley come from a quietly bubbling, potent, and beautiful fountain – one fed by three streams deep within her heart and mind.

      One stream consists of her terribly painful memories of childhood abuse: verbal, physical, sexual, and emotional. These ugly memories no longer torment Julie, but they cannot be easily erased.

      A second stream flows from her intimate life in God. Because she has come to know, by long experience, the remarkable love and healing power of her Lord and Savior, she enjoys a closeness with God that overpowers her and fills her daily with childlike trust and joy.

      A third stream that continually feeds the life-giving fountain that is Julie Woodley is an unquenchable compassion for hurting people. Because Julie has come from a place of extremely deep hurt that once led her to the very brink of suicide, she engages in a relentless, Christ-focused pursuit of healing and restoration for those shattered and nearly destroyed by the crushing blows of life. She is for sure a wounded healer of many — one who relies totally on her heavenly Father for daily grace and direction.

      I definitely recommend these readings — intended to be read meditatively — from this strong and transparent woman of God whom I have been privileged to know and support in ministry for over a quarter century.

      Robert V. Rakestraw, PhD

      Professor of Theology Emeritus

      Bethel Seminary, St. Paul, MN

      Author and Editor

      Founder and Director, Grace Quest Ministries

      Acknowledgments

      Thank you to so many incredible women who have breathed truth and love into my heart:

      Thank you Sharon Goding. You are closer than a sister; you are part of my heart!

      Faith Frederick—you are so loving and faithful—you have taught me how to be a feminine warrior.

      Dr. Jeanette Bakke, your words and prayers have nurtured me so. From the day I entered seminary with you as my professor, I knew my life would never be the same.

      Jeanette Vought, you mentored, loved, and gave me support in the hardest times.

      Mary Lowman—a new friend, but I have a beautiful prediction of years of support and prayers to come.

      I could list hundreds of beautiful wildflowers that have impacted my life—thank you each and every one.

      But one beautiful woman who left this world 30 years ago made the deepest love impact and legacy. With tears of love, I thank you my Grandmother Eileen.

      You taught me how to love like no other. You displayed extravagant love and mentored and parented me each step of the way. Much of the time you were quiet in the way you shaped me, but I watched you Grandma! I watched you give; I watched you forgive; I watched you love—sometimes when the person didn’t deserve it. As you used to say about yourself, “I may not be very pretty; I may not be very smart; but I can love better than anyone” and that you could, my dearest Grandmother! If I can be a small reflection of the kindness and grace you gave others, then I will be ecstatic with joy.

      I’m excited to see you in heaven and tell you of all the people that I have loved with the love you gave to me, because we both know all this love was from God. You were filled with Him. I’ll continue the love revolution here on earth until I come to heaven with you. I promise you one of those big squishy hugs and wet kisses you gave me so generously!

      Introduction

      As I wrote this devotional, I prayed that it would be a prayer meeting between the Lord, myself, and you. God provided a buffer zone, so I could enter into silence and focus on things unseen. Then, I could bring his Glory to the tangible world and share those revelations with eyes that see and ears that hear.

      The chaos and violence in this world, and in the lives of those who seek help, affords us the great opportunity to speak God’s truth into these matters. I have asked Jesus for the courage to speak truth, the wisdom of God to do it well, and the grace to remember that as God speaks to me, it’s not just for others, but for my sake too. As Oswald Chambers said in My Utmost for His Highest, I pray I may “be careful to maintain strenuously God’s point of view” (from his devotion for October 24, based on 2 Corinthians 2:14)

      Jesus, My heart is yours! I give you my trust and I give you my life! My heart is moved, stirred, and romanced. The vessel called my heart is bursting with love, life, hope and pure joy. Your love, Oh Lord, sings within me—in my dreams, in my visions, in the twilight, in my waking, in the darkness and in the light — all day and all night. I pray the undercurrent of who I am is you. I am filled with wild love — overwhelming, saturating, and transforming. I desire that you may be caught up in this wild love too.

      All I have to offer is my weakness and I know He brings his loving strength into my weakness! I have been in many turbulent storms. In the chaos and the pain, God has been so faithful. He may not have answered all my questions, but he has been with me in each and every moment, every step of the way. He has been (and still is) an incredible travel companion, my abiding presence always.

      Thank you for entering into this 31-day journey with me. Oh, the places we will travel and the people we shall meet. All we have to offer the wounded is a Savior that understands their scars and longs to reach