DaySpring Redeemed Review {and GIVEAWAY}!!!

Evidently I enjoy doing DaySpring product reviews  for (in)courage's (in)spired deals program during  the month of April? Random, I know. Please {please} hang with me for your chance to win some awesomeness at the end. I'll try to make this as painless as possible. 

For the longest time I thought my bad choices, my mistakes, my troublesome situations, every way I had messed up in the past would remain this ugly junk that when I looked back at it, I just wanted to hide. I think we all have those hurting, broken places that we think will stay that way forever. Or maybe it wasn't even a bad choice, but a result of someone else's choices that we paid the consequences for. I'm quite sure we've all had those moments of saying, maybe not aloud, but at least in our head,

 "God...nothing good can come of this. This situation is beyond hope and...I know You're God but...good luck 'fixing' this." 

And if you haven't said that? Well...ummm...just go with me anyway. 

 One of my biggest "whatcha gonna do God" moments happened last April. The first Tuesday of that month {it was the 5th, I know this because my bff in Dallas had her little baby girl that morning...and...I could go back and check the calendar :) } I announced to my co-workers that I was leaving my current job and going to do something else. I didn't know what the something else was...but it wasn't with them. 

It was perhaps the scariest thing I'd ever done. I had complete faith at the time that God was going to show up and show OFF and BOOM give me a job like that because...well, He's God and He can do that. 

Then months go by. 

And I babysit kids.

 

And I think...

"Ummm...God? ANY DAY NOW would be great. I mean really...You don't have to wait any more!"

And more months go by. 

And I get a job substituting. 

I absolutely love it.  I begin to see the steps I have to take to do what I feel God has called me to do. {Be a Math teacher.}It includes taking this big monstrous ridiculously scary test that includes math that I haven't done in 9 years and passing it. Along with another not AS scary, but scary nonetheless, three-part test and passing IT. 

So I study and study, hours and hours...studying. 

I think it ended up being probably close to 80 hours of studying. 

At least.

Then in January I take my test and I think

"Well, everyone says it is hard and you always do better than you think. 

I know I'm supposed to be teaching. 

I know this is where God wants me.

So I HAVE to had passed."

 Another month goes by and I find out I didn't pass. 

I think...

"REALLY. I'M REALLY SERIOUS THIS TIME GOD. WHAT is going on??"

{I have a slight flare for the dramatic. And being stupid.}

So I set out to take the test again in March. I study my calculus, not as much as I should have, but enough to have a basic understanding of the category that I got a big fat ZERO in on my first test. 

I take the test and feel much more comfortable about it this time. It's the biggest obstacle keeping me from what I know God wants me to do. And if I don't pass, I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do.

 

Fast-forward to this April. I'm supposed to get my results and I feel like I'm going to throw up for most of the weeks in between the test and getting these results. 

The morning of April 3rd. 

The first Tuesday of that month. 

Exactly a year since I made my announcement. 

I'm subbing at the local junior high that day. 

They had asked me 2 or 3 weeks prior. 

3 or 4 other people had later asked me to sub that day, but I was already taken. 

Subbing junior high math. 

That's the day I wake up at 4:30 and navigate my phone to the ETS website. My stomach aflutter. 

I click the link to find my scores. 

I had passed.

Isn't that just like God? 

To work out the details of actually subbing math that day and it having been exactly a year since I gave Him control of my future. 

All the waiting. All the pain. All the hurt. All the days of doubt and tears and wondering when He was going to make something beautiful of my big ole mess.

It had finally arrived. 

In His time. 

He had redeemed it and boy was it beautiful.  

When I came home that day I discovered a package from DaySpring. 

It included their beautiful vintage glass vase and a set of ceramic coasters that have served to remind me that He does make everything beautiful in its time. 

That in ALL things He works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. 

All things. Including the things we have to wait for. 

Sometimes a whole year. 

He redeems.

I love love love the vase. It's sitting on our kitchen table right now and it reminds me of an old mason jar. It goes great with our country kitchen. Really it would look good in any kitchen, or living room or...anywhere. It's an anywhere-it-is-it's-beautiful thing. It says "He has made everything beautiful in its time" on one side and on the opposite "Beautiful". Maybe it reminds me of an old milk jar. The kind that the milk man actually delivered. Not that we had a milk man at any time in my life, but I've seen those jars before. Totally. love. it. OH, and to give you an idea, it's about 4 inches wide and 9 inches tall.

The coasters are just as lovely. And much needed because if there's one thing I got in trouble for the most as a kid, it's not putting my sweating drink on a coaster. ;) I still get in trouble for that NOW. :-/  They're colorful and big enough for your biggest drinks and look GOOD. {Did you see those pictures up there?}

SO...

Don't you want something gorgeous to remind you that God redeems those broken hurting things? 

Well, DaySpring has given me the chance to give away this Redeemed Truly Treasured wallet. 

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS THING.  

I basically love everything in this Redeemed line.

I don't want to say I'm coveting almost every single piece of jewelry in the line, but...I ain't gonna lie. I am.

Especially a few necklaces and the "Trust" ring.  

Sigh. LOVELINESS. 

So...to win the wallet you have a couple of choices on how to enter. 

{a}  Have a look at the fabulous products in the DaySpring Redeemed line and come back here and tell me which one is your favorite!

{b}  Tweet about this giveaway or share the link on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did. 

{c}  Share with us some words about what the word "redeemed" means to you. Maybe a verse or...just anything you feel like sharing.

{d}  What's your favorite "redeemed" song? Let us know in the comments. {Mine is Selah's Unredeemed. I cry almost every time I hear it.}

That's four different ways to win!

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing you do. 

I'll leave the giveaway open til 10:00 p.m. CST on Monday, April 30th and choose a winner using random.org.

**Disclosures: The vase and coasters were given to me for free by DaySpring in exchange for my honest review. The winner will receive a coupon code for one Truly Treasured Wallet. The code expires on July 31, 2012. Shipping charges will apply.**

Good luck y'all. :)