A Decade of Love!

10 years ago today I walked down the aisle and committed the rest of my life to a man I had only known seven months! A decade later I am convinced now more than ever that (with the exception of having made the decision to accept Christ as my Savior) it was the best decision of my life!  

Now, if you've read my blog at all you know I am not about painting pretty pictures and leaving out the gory details! :-) It has not always been butterflies and roses in this relationship. In fact we didn't actually hit the honeymoon phase until about year seven! The very morning of our wedding began with a monsoon! And our very first moments alone as husband and wife was me pushing him away as he tried to kiss me saying "I think I'm going to throw up!" :-) That's what I get for jumping into the back of a limo and going down the winding back roads of Maryland completely ignoring the fact that I get carsick! 

The Honeymoon itself was nice, but it was in the airport of St. Lucia waiting for our flight home that we had our very first little tiff. The fact is he was insensitive and I was insecure. We really were quite a pair. :-) 

Our first three years were an uphill battle, mostly because I had so much emotional issues that I had kept hidden from the world for so long and now that he was ALWAYS THERE I couldn't hide it any longer, so he had to come to the unfortunate realization that the strong, confident, positive, independent woman he had married was a horrendous mess on the inside, emotionally insecure, incredibly defensive and in a continual battle with self-disgust. 

Without a doubt the absolute best decision we made, which truly saved our marriage happened before we were ever married. Thanks to having been raised in Christian homes, with Christian (still married...to each other) parents we too entered into marriage as the sacred covenant that it is and made a commitment that divorce did not exist. We promised each other we would never say the word. Not even in gist. Because of that decision our marriage, though rocky, was a safe place where we knew, no matter how hard it was, we could work through whatever came our way. Neither of us were afraid to deal with the issues we had to tackle head-on because there was no fear of being left. We knew we were stuck with each other! :-)

So we worked it out, talked it out, and prayed it out, and it is because of those tough first years that our marriage is strong and awesome today! There's still plenty of work to be done because there's always work to be done when it comes to relationships, but it is worth every single bit of effort.

Tim is an incredible husband and an amazing daddy. He is my provider, my protector, my lover, and my best friend. We have come so far, and I know without a doubt, through whatever highs and lows may come our way, with the love we have and standing in the strength given to us by the Lord, our marriage will stand firm. As the scripture we used in our wedding says..."a threefold cord is not easily broken." (Me, Tim, and God holing us together!)

When we give our broken pieces to the Lord He can turn them in to an incredible love story! I am so thankful for how much I have learned and how much we have both grown over these last 10 years. To God be the glory!

God will come get you! (Post #3)

What if I’m buried under a pile of dirty laundry or under the table cleaning up the latest aftermath of the circus my kids call eating? What if I’m too busy staring at the spots on the mirror or that blasted ring that insists on appearing in the toilet!!!  What if in the midst of an extreme bout with “Mommy brain” I am too distracted to notice my big chance and the opportunity passes me by????

Chill out, sister! I have good news! God will come get you!! Right there, under the kitchen table, in the middle of the PTO meeting, in the grocery when you are busy strategically arranging the items in your cart in hopes that any onlookers may notice with the food they should eat carefully placed in plain sight so as to cover up the stuff they actually like! (Yep! Benn there!! J )

Where was David when Samuel came to anoint the new king? Was he pushing his way to the front of the line so as to outshine his older brothers? No! His own father didn’t even consider the possibility that his youngest boy would even be in the running. But God knew! When Samuel asked Jesse if there were any others the response was, “Well, there’s the youngest, David. But he’s out tending the sheep.” And through Samuel God said, “Go get him!”

Moses was out wandering the dessert in a foreign land, far away from his own people (God’s people), just minding his own business, tending his sheep, when suddenly there was a burning bush! And not just any brush fire. A bush burning yet not consumed. Moses had to take a closer look.

God is not always subtle when He wants to get a point across.  Trust me. When the time comes for you to enter a new season or take on a new task, or jump on a new opportunity God will come get you right where you are. Right there in middle of tending your sheep.

Stay focused on the task at hand. Give it your all. Do everything you do, whether changing diapers or running errands, whether cooking dinner or wiping runny noses, do it all for the glory of the Lord! And your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you in the open! When you feel like all you do goes unnoticed or bares little significance, know the God of the universe is watching intently and routing you on as you tend your sheep. He has great plans for every one of us, and as He told me many years ago, He will not let you miss or mess up any of the plans He has for you as long as you are truly seeking Him.

So go on, give yourself permission to give yourself fully to the task at hand. Don’t live with one eye on your kids and one eye on “the next big thing.” God has your days planned, and when He has something new for you, He’ll come get you. For now, tend your sheep!

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

King David, Sheep Tender (Post #2)

So, let's talk some more about tending those little sheep! I want to check out the life of David this week. I love the life of David! So many ups and downs. So many twists and turns. I've always said David is the closest example in the Bible we have of a hormonal woman! :-) One day he's on top of the world. The next day the world is on top of him! And goodness knows he was never afraid to share with the Lord exactly how he felt!

There are so many lessons from David's life. Chances are, no matter what you are going through or heading to there is something from his life that you can apply to your situation. One of the main things that has spoken to me out of the life of David in regards to our current topic is the fact that after he was anointed to be king he went right back to tending the sheep! Just imagine! He had already been anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel. The king over God's people. He knew without a doubt that God had incrediblely huge plans for his life. And yet in the midst of all that he went right back to tending the sheep. 

If David was anything like me I can just imagine him thinking, "OK got it, Lord! Now I know what you want me to do. I have this awesome calling on my life. Now what? Now what?" But what was God's direction for this anointed king of Israel? "Go tend your sheep." Personally, I would've been crushed! "Are you kidding me? I'm king of your people! You have these massive plans for me! Surely you have something more important for me to be doing!" But his charge? Tend the sheep! 

Despite the fact that there is an obvious lesson in patience here, let's look at what else was going on during that time. I call this "actively waiting." I don't think this was a mindless time for David. Nor was it wasted time. God used the time in those fields with those little sheep to prepare David for the huge things He had in store for him. Though the anointing and the call on David's life were already in place God had a lot of things to teach him before He could bring him into the fullness of that calling. While tending the sheep, David had a lot of time alone with the Lord. There were plenty of things to distract him like wolves and bears and lions and sheep wondering often and getting lost and having to be searched for and then brought back, but you know that during this season David wrote some of the most powerful, incredible, and inspiring scripture which I pour over almost every morning. David grew in the Lord in mighty ways. It was in those fields where he fought the bear and the lion which he spoke of when facing Goliath. When he stood before that huge giant he had no fear because while he was tending the sheep the Lord showed him His power and gave him strength, ability, and confidence. 

So while you may feel this burning passion inside of you for something more, and you just know there is something better out there, do not forsake this time of tending sheep. Pay attention! God has so much to teach you in the field.