It’s an honor to bring you this guest blog from Pastor Dawn Williams! God crossed our paths almost two years ago through Liberty Church and I have learned so much from her in that time. Pastor Dawn has a such heart for people; she crafts her words to cheer others on, pointing them to God and His Word. She sets an example as a wife, mother, pastor, mentor and friend. I hope you enjoy this piece as we prepare to celebrate Easter!

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I have always loved history. It was my favorite subject in school. I didn’t mind memorizing facts & dates. I loved studying unique places around the world from whatever time period. My love of history led me to majoring in secondary education social studies in Bible college. I only taught school for two years before becoming a full-time wife, mom, and now pastor. You can always find me reading historical signs wherever we travel. I love to explore the past & present. Curiosity. Cultures. Cool Places. My dreams always include traveling!

Merriam-Webster defines history as “a chronological record of significant events (such as those affecting a nation or institution), often including an explanation of their causes.” It is “a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events.” When you study history, you usually only cover the main events as there are thousands of years to cover. When a major event happens in your lifetime like an assassination, a shuttle explosion, the events of 9/11, and the burning of a famous church like Notre Dame, you pause to wonder and think how this day will be remembered.

All of history from the beginning of time until time is no more is all His Story. The story that God is writing. It all begins with God, and it will end with God. There is powerful purpose in it all. No moment is ever wasted. Sometimes I try to think of the very beginning, but my brain easily gets tired & strained trying to make sense of it all imagining the very beginning.

The beginning. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 NLT). The universe and all it contains begins with God. He chose to create people. Humans with a free will to carry out His purposes. God initiated a relationship with us. To have a family.

Even in the very beginning, even before Adam & Eve would sin, there was a plan. A plan that involved a Main Character for all of history. His Story. “I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel” (Genesis 3:15 MSG). This is where Jesus is first promised. First mentioned right after the problem of sin. A plan had already been set in motion even before it was needed. The offspring of a woman to crush the head of Satan. Jesus would be wounded in the process. The crucifixion. A hiccup. Not a problem for God who can raise anything from the dead.

This is Easter week where we celebrate and remember that Jesus was “pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands” (Isaiah 53:5,6,10 NLT).

It was God’s plan. A plan of redemption. A plan of His Story. Jesus is the Main Character. The story from B.C. to A.D. is all about Jesus. “Before Christ” and now “anno domini”, Latin for “in the year of our Lord.” All of the events that took place after Jesus. He is the center stage. The highest importance is the death of Jesus and His resurrection.

The next main event is the return of Jesus. All of heaven is watching & waiting. We know the end of the story. It is good for God and His kids. It is a story of love, redemption, and hope. A story of victory. Of evil being defeated forever.

Your story is being written from your birth until your last breath. Letting God write your story is the best way to live. It begins by believing & embracing His grace. That Jesus came for YOU and took your place. It is personal & individual. Remember from the beginning God wants a relationship, a family. He wants to adopt YOU into His. When you place your faith in Jesus, you are now on His path, and your story is woven into His. A beautiful path with more potential than you can imagine. His Story is now alive in you.

What history will you let Him write in you today? The historical markers in our world tell of something that happened in that physical location. What markers will your life tell of what God has done in your heart & life? Will others be drawn to read from your life and see His Story? A message of hope, love, redemption not just for you, but for an entire world that needs it. Desperately. Let’s help others find God’s path so their story can be woven into His too. Let’s introduce them to the Main Character of all time… Jesus.

“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels–everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” – Colossians 1:16 (MSG)