Beauty from Ashes: A Modern-Day Samaritan Woman at the Well Story

By Mattie Patrick

The book is a story of redemption from a modern day Samaritan woman at the well. The author has married four times and amidst her lack of wisdom and allowing Christ to guide her in the past, wants to share how we do not have to continue living in our past and we do not have to continue the destructive patterns. New life and freedom in Christ are ours for the taking.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664242869

Mattie Patrick

The author is a true person giving real life details to point to a life with Jesus above all. She is a blessed mother of three. She has learned what a full life truly is and wants nothing more than to share this with you.

Book preview

Beauty

FROM

ASHES

A Modern-Day Samaritan Woman at the Well Story

MATTIE PATRICK

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Copyright © 2021 Mattie Patrick.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

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without the written permission of the author except in the case of

brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author

and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of

the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of

people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4287-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4288-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4286-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021916932

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/26/2021

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE,

copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission

of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible,

English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing

ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (AMP) taken from the

Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman

Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New

International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica,

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Scripture marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

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Introduction

It has been with great trepidation that I share this testimony of my life, which will sound much like the woman in John 4. Jesus surprised his disciples when he sat beside the Samaritan woman at the well. My life may surprise some who know me, but this story is meant to reach deep into the hearts of those whose lives may relate to the woman at the well.

Everyone, myself first and foremost, is a sinner; we all have a past. This is not a book about a poor woman victim. It is about a woman with a past of not listening to God and not waiting on Him. Circumstances are explained so maybe one lady can relate and know that regardless of her own choices that led her into abusive and deceptive situations, she does not have to remain wounded. We do not have to remain in a pattern of poor choices. We do not have to remain in despair. We can choose to walk away and live with the power of Christ, healed with scars, to testify about the goodness of God. We can choose to rise above the abuse we didn’t ask for or the deception we walked into. We do not have to remain where Satan wants us. He wants us stuck. To the child who has been abused and feels so much distress, Satan wants your mind to remain there. To the woman who has made so many unwise choices and has a reputation, Satan wants you to believe that’s all you will ever be.

I want to note for those who have shared my past and were the ones I ran to ahead of God’s blessing, this in no way denotes them as people who are below me. They are not the only ones at fault. They are not necessarily ones who stayed stuck in, also running ahead of God. That was the past, and the past belongs there so God can use it to relate to others who may have made similar choices but do not yet understand their significance. I do not and will not use this victory story to bash anyone or put me in a light of victim or above another. I pray and want this to be raw in the light; every single one of us has darkness, and Jesus is the only light in us. It has taken me far too long to surrender to Him and use my life only to point to Him; I am thankful He has also redeemed people from my past and uses them. I am as much to blame as the others in not following God’s will and call, but guess what? He can take this and speak to your heart; He’ll tell you where you are to shed His light and let you know, you are never too far gone. With His love, there is no room for hate or unforgiveness. My sin of not obeying is no better than the sins of others in my life, just a different disobedience.

I am writing this book to let you know there is not one human alive, that includes you, who Jesus will ever pass by and not be waiting for; He’ll wait for you right where you are, with arms open wide for you to fall into and receive His love. He wants you to receive the life He wants to give you. If you read this and feel a tug on your heart, feel free to reach out to me for a personal prayer. I am nothing special, but my Jesus is, and I write this only to show a girl who made her own way and didn’t think God was moving fast enough for my liking. Therefore, my children, family, friends, and I paid a high cost for my jumps, instead of waiting however long it took for God’s surprises.

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The Self Made

Journey Begins

What keeps you in a pit of not living the best life you could, of constant negativity or low self-esteem, unforgiveness, or depression? Is it self-image? Finances? A toxic relationship? Marriage problems? A wayward child? Health issues? Lack of a good job or lack of happiness doing your job? Do you find yourself stuck in unforgiveness for yourself or others?.