I received a phone call from Sandra, a long term friend that has been very dear to me since we were both around eighteen years of age. She was fun loving and full of the joy of the Lord. We had great fun throughout the first few years of our salvation. We were spontaneous and impulsive. We both had a clear call of God on our lives to reach the lost and we were obedient to our calls. Many came to know the Lord through both of us.

Sandra also married young and was divorced. She was again full of the Lord's grace in a new and exciting way. She became an even more beautiful woman than she already was because she had now been touched by the Lord in such a gentle and loving way. Sandra had been through much.

She experienced violence and abandonment from her ex-partner. Terrible heartache too when her precious stepdaughter was also to be taken from her. This heartache was like a wound that is left open and raw without bathing and dressing. There were deep emotional issues and pain that only the Lord could tenderly bring up as she was able to cope. Sandra was being pruned like a tree being prepared to bear fruit. With a calling so divine and strong Sandra needed to be refined in her walk.

Sandra is now very happily married and in a safe and protected place. The Lord is still refining this precious lady's walk. As she poured out her heart over the phone it occurred to me once again that our life is not always roses. We continue in our ever changing walk, learning and experiencing much. Happy and contented when all is well, then questioning and falling apart when hardships arise.

Sandra's story this time was one of despair. Her future before her appears very bleak. Where has my spontaneous and fun loving friend disappeared to? She is there, I could hear her voice in the midst of the overwhelming darkness she was telling me about. Sandra, right now, is at a point in her life where the Lord can do an incredibly deep work. She may not be walking in victory and standing tall in faith, but she is changing and meeting God in a whole new way.

This beautiful woman is coming forth like a butterfly about to emerge from its cocoon. She is being prepared for ministry. Her life will be a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Sandra has promises and dreams that are yet to be fulfilled, and in time they will.

Many of us go through major difficulties that require every ounce of energy to face. Other people don't know the intensity of our experiences and the toll they take when we are walking through something huge. But the Lord does, He faithfully watches over you. Be encouraged: Every experience brings forth a testimony of God's faithfulness.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:1-5