"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7 (NASB)

I was asked to speak at our PWM ~ Breaking Free 09' Womens Retreat this past weekend. I was excited going into this because I hadn't given my testimony to anyone but our Pastor's Wife who asked me to speak. We have only been in Beaufort SC for 5 months and I am still getting to know everyone at our new church.

The retreat started out with a bang. For the first session, our pastors wife asked myself and the other speaker to join her in a skit. This skit opened with Casting Crowns "East is from the West" song as one of the husbands (being Jesus) walked down the Isle carrying a pretend cross. The reason, for us to yell at Jesus about the things we feel he has left us alone in. This would not be an easy skit for me. I have some things that I have never said out loud much less yelled them at Jesus.. I prayed just before time to do this and asked God for his forgiveness for what I was about to do...

The other two speakers went before me and moved the audience to tears with their pleas. When it came my time to let Jesus know how I have felt my heart became overwhelmed at the thought of yelling at my Savior... The tears began to flow and would not stop... first I said, "Where were you Jesus when my life was turned upside down at 6 and my daddy left me." The second, "where were you Jesus when my step father decided to do things to me that should not be done to a child", then the one that turned out to hurt the most... "Where were you Jesus when my daughter was born with CP... and I had to watch all my dreams die, where were you Jesus...." We then ran down to the cross one by one and wept at Jesus feet.. We told him we realize that he was there all along... for me the tears would not stop. I have felt all of these things so many times but never had the guts to let Jesus know. This was my first chance to get it all out... and I did!!!

I can say that this was the hardest thing I have ever said out loud to my Savior. But I can also say that God moved in the three of us and the ladies in attendance in the most powerful way. Women were breaking free from their bitterness and un-forgiveness. The word tells us to "Ask" and we shall receive, "Seek" and we shall find, "knock"and it will be opened to us.. So we did with passion and all the strength we could each muster...

By the end of the retreat God had moved so much with in each of the ladies that everyone knew Jesus had been there all along in their own trials...... We can ask God anything and he will answer. We can seek Him and always find Him.. We can knock and he will answer no matter how hard it is for us to say what we need to say.... He is a faithful Father and will not turn us away!! Praise The Lord!!

Cherie