Knowing him and Him

A few days ago, I was reflecting on a pivotal situation in our lives.  I say pivotal because this situation had to happen to shift our thinking into the possibility of moving to Africa.  My husband had a really good job making more than he had ever made before.  Three months ago, he was fired.  To make a long, complicated story very short, he was accused of quite a few sexual advances towards a female subordinate (some a bit outlandish) and was accused of plotting to leave me for her.  How did this affect me? I was overjoyed!!!!  Why?  Because my husband was no longer working a job that drained him and kept him away for so long.  Because this occurrence meant that God had to be moving us into a new stage.  And because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the allegations made against my husband were false.  How did I know this?  Because my husband and I know each other on an intimate level.  We have always put a big emphasis on communication and have even talk through uncomfortable situations and scenarios in a "what if" kind of way.  Our neighbor, who worked for my husband, told Sean that we must have a good relationship because his wife would have left him following such accusations. 

My reflections began to draw a comparison.  If knowing my husband so intimately...his character, the way he makes decisions, his values, what he things and feels about me, what he thinks about extramarital affairs, what he thinks about divorce, and so on....allows me to really know him to the point that I have a foundation and a truth about him in which I am able to make sound judgements about him and his character, how much more does an intimate relationship with Jesus allow us to stand firm on who He is, how He feels about us, and how we feel about Him.  When our feelings, thoughts, and what we accept to be truth are based on the written Word of God and our interactions with Christ on an intimate personal level, we will not be shaken but stand firm in our relationship.  When accusations are made against Christ, we can cast them down because we intimately know who He is.  Our faith is built when we know Him intimately by when we hear, meditating on, and studying his Words:  "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:17) 

Now if I only knew about my husband from what others said about him and I did not know him intimately, I might have a hard time believing his innocence.  My belief in his innocence would depend on the perceptions of what others had told me about him.  My belief in his innocence would be based off of others opinions and interactions with him.  I would not have that intimate knowledge of him.  I believe that the same is true with my relationship with Christ.  Without the intimate knowledge of scripture, my time spent meditating on the Word of God, my times of conversation with Him, and my times of worship and prayer, I would not have a relationship with Christ; therefore, if I claimed any relationship with Him then it would be based off the the relationship that another had with Him.  A good example would be going to church and only listening to what the preacher said and taking every word that is said as truth and never going and weighing what is said against the Word of God.  In this scenario the "relationship with Christ" is based off of the experiences and relationship of the preacher not a personal intimate relationship created from seeking Him and knowing Him intimately through His Word.  I believe that many have been lead astray throughout history because people did not have that intimately relationship, took what was told to them by others as truth because they did not have a foundation of their own based off of the Bible, and was lead astray by false beliefs and notions. 

I encourage you today to know Christ intimately...to know Him for yourself.....to keep your eyes fixed on Him, and then watch how your life is transformed by this intimate knowledge of Him.

The Love of God Revealed

                                                                                                           March 9, 2012

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16&17

Standing in my kitchen yesterday, God began to reveal to me how deep his love is for mankind. I think that sometimes the depth and complexity of God can only be revealed through deep pain. My husband has been under severe attack this week. He was terminated at work under false and outlandish accusations. A former employee told him this week that based off of his observations this week that it looks like my husband was set up. As I was dealing with the raw emotion of rage that my husband was plotted against, unjustly accused, and had no chance to defend himself, God reminded me of Christ and that he too was plotted against, falsely accused, beaten, and killed. For our sake, he did not defend himself but instead became a sacrifice for us so that we could once again be reconciled to God. That is love!

The Best Gift a Mother Can Give

                                                                                                             May 8, 2011

I had the privilege Friday night to speak at the Declaring War Women’s Retreat – The Heart of A Mother in McKinney. I have put a lot of thought into what really makes a bond between a mother and her children so special. The past 8 months have served as a transitional time for my family which has given me much opportunity to evaluate different areas of my life in relation to the Word of God.
God’s ultimate desire is for us to engage in a relationship with Him. Out of our intimate connection with Him flows all of the abundance and peace that we so desire, crave, and need in life. I have noticed that a lot of Christians, including myself earlier in life, spend the majority of their time trying to live according to His laws and being obedient to His Word. However, as I have experienced, this leaves us feeling defeated as we are only human and are never able to fully live up to His standards. We end up living life feeling like we are constantly missing the mark. God knew this would happen. He introduced His laws to show us our need for a Savior. The birth and death of Jesus opened up the opportunity for us once again to be in relationship with God on an intimate level…no longer did we have to go through a priest. We have full access to Him whenever and where ever we want it.
My desire has always been to be the very best mother that I could be for my three children. I tried my best to protect them from all dangers, feed them, clothe them, discipline them, instill good manners, and initiate and foster a relationship with God. When we needed extra income, I did everything in my power to find ways of making income while still being at home with them. When it came time for school, I started a preschool and then a private school to keep that connection with them (among many other reasons). When we moved away from the town that the school was started in, I homeschooled them even though we had no source of income (Sean was in college full time) so that I was still near to them. I put all of my faith in God for His provision. I value the closeness and am willing to sacrifice what I need to sacrifice for it.

Thoughts on Family...

                                                                                                                 December 13, 2010

The past few days I have found myself really reflecting on the ways that we are raising our children. I have been seeking more non-mainstream ways of raising our children I think more so because I am desiring more non-mainstream results in the dynamics of our family and outcomes of our children. I want something more than what is typically perceived possible. I want to enjoy every minute with my husband and children instead of watching the clock and counting down the hours until bedtime or counting the years until graduation so that we can “have our life back.”