Tracie Miles - Your Life Still Counts: How God Uses Your Past to Create a Beautiful Future

2014 by Tracie Miles

Published by Bethany House Publishers

11400 Hampshire Avenue South

Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of

Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

Ebook edition created 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-6489-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007

Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations identified NIRV are from the Holy Bible, New International Readers Version. NIRV. Copyright 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations identified THE MESSAGE are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations identified Gods Word are from G OD s W ORD . 1995 Gods Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Cover design by Greg Jackson, Thinkpen Design, Inc.

Author is represented by WordServe Literary Group.

God has a plan for your life and a purpose for your future. No matter what youve been through or whats been done to you, if youre still breathing God isnt finished with you yet! Let Tracie Miles help you discover your calling and the way you are uniquely equipped to make your life count!

Renee Swope, bestselling author of A Confident Heart and Proverbs 31 Ministries radio cohost, Everyday Life with Lysa & Renee

Tracie Miles and I share a lot of precious things: We share our love for God and His Word, we share a passion for family, and we share a life of purpose through ministry to women. Equally as precious and tender as all of that, Tracie and I share the redeeming, restoring, and life-changing love of Jesus following a past that includes the heartbreak of abortion. Regardless of what your past holds, you will laugh and you will cry as you walk with Tracie through the healing journey from heartbreak and loss to discover Your Life Still Counts ! Prepare to be amazed!

Pat Layton, author of Surrendering the Secret and A Surrendered Life

I hadnt fully realized how much my past had me in a chokehold until I began reading the pages of Tracie Miles beautifully written book. Her words are life altering. Your Life Still Counts is a powerful book on fire with brave energy.

Ashley Walkup, founder of EmbracingBeauty.com

Do the wrong choices you made in the past sometimes work their ugly way into your heart and mind today? Think God doesnt forgive youlet alone want to use you to serve Him? Your Life Still Counts will allow you to break free from this lie as you discover the truth that God makes all things new. Yes, even you.

Karen Ehman, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and author of seven books including LET. IT. GO.: How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith and Everyday Confetti

From the first paragraph, Tracies story gripped my heart. The message of hope in Your Life Still Counts is one needed by everyone who has ever thought they were too far from God to receive His grace. This book will help you grasp how much God wants to use you, just as you are.

Rachel Wojo, author and founder of RachelWojo.com

I dedicate this book to Jesus Christ,
my Lord and Savior,
because if it werent for Him,
there would be no story to tell.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Genesis 50:20

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Ephesians 4:1

Contents

Introduction

H ave you ever wondered if something you did, something your parents did, or something someone did against you or to you, is the reason God is allowing hardship in your life? Have you ever entertained the thought that your pain and suffering are because God is punishing you for your sin, or because He doesnt see any value in you as a result of all that has happened, or possibly because of all the bad choices you have made? If your honest answer is yes to any of these questions, then I can relate. I entertained those thoughts for many years, confident that God was going to give me the punishment I deserved for my sin. But Im here to tell youHe never did.

Jesus disciples had this same mind-set with regard to the blind man in John 9:12: As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. Rabbi, his disciples asked him, why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents sins?

Jesus lovingly put their confusion to rest: It was not because of his sins or his parents sins, Jesus answered. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him (v. 3).

The blind man had endured a serious handicap, immense suffering, and undeserved physical and emotional challenges for decadesall so that Jesus could be glorified. He may have lived his entire life feeling inferior, unloved, rejected, excluded, and purposeless, completely unaware that Jesus had plans to use him as proof of the power of God in someones life. But that all changed the day the blind man met Jesus.

In the next set of verses, we are encouraged to take a leap of faith and be willing to shine as an example of what Jesus can do in a persons life, as a light for Him to a dark and lost world. In John 9:45, Jesus goes on to say, We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world. When we witness the power of Jesus in our life, or experience His healing (whether physical or spiritual), we are instructed here to quickly acknowledge His faithfulness, praise Him, trust in His ways, and willingly walk or run toward fulfilling our purpose. We are called to be living proof of the awesome and unmatched power of God.

God allows pain, struggles, and adversities to be a part of our lives, and maybe if necessary, He even causes them. But regardless of our circumstances, He not only promises healing and restoration, He also promises purpose from the pain if we are willing to trust Him enough to see it through.