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| Our Love Letters |
3/3/96 until forever was written on countless notes and letters and cards.
This part of my life has been a huge part of my story...for 18 years.
More than half my life.
I was thinking on it again and asking "What was the point of all that Lord?"
And He answered..."To prove your faithfulness to me."
"What???"
I honestly thought, "Shut up???"
(yes, I actually told God to Shut up!)
"That's it? All those years of struggling and waiting just to show we were faithful? For real?"
And so I leaned on my kitchen counter
and I was overwhelmed.
Stunned.
A truth was set in my life that I never knew or realized.
I have proven to be faithful.
I am Faithful.
All those years...
7 years...
I believed what His word said and I resigned myself,
mind, body and spirit to His truths and His promises,
not knowing how it would all play out, but believing;
having faith and hope that He would work it all out.
I asked my husband later that day,
"Did you ever in those years of dating and the long engagement...
did you ever question that we wouldn't stay pure until our wedding night?"
His answer, very matter of factly and without hesitation was, "No. I knew that no matter what,
it was what we were going to do.
I never questioned it."
Yeah...
no matter what...
we were faithful to what He had called us to do
and what He desired of us.
And he is right...we never questioned it.
In that one instant...
in that one answer...
all the lies I have struggled with all my life...
the lies of not being good enough...
not being strong enough...
not being able to finish anything well...
GONE!
Holy Cow!!! Set Free!
Because...
I have proven to be faithful.
We did what was not normal,
what was difficult,
what took a long time.
We honored and obeyed my parents despite not agreeing with them at the time...
We were faithful to both God and man.
Though we weren't perfect...
we were faithful.
Here's the whole truth:
If you are walking in whatever it is He has called you to,
no matter what season you are in;
whether you are newly married, in college, early motherhood, empty nesting...
juggling and living and figuring life out day by day...
whatever it is...
If you are living your life according to the word of God and according to whatever He has called you to do...
you are being faithful to Him.
You are Faithful.
You are proving yourself to be Faithful just like Abraham and David and Ruth and Mary...
They weren't perfect...yet they were called Faithful.
So in the things he has called me to right now...
this season of raising babies and toddlers and homeschooling
and making countless meals and washing too many dishes and laundry overload...
in all those things that no one sees me do...
He sees me
and He calls me Faithful.
Not because I'm perfect.
Not because I do everything well (you should see my laundry room)
or because I do it without complaint,
but because I'm doing it as best as a fallen,
selfish sinner who needs Jesus every single moment of every day can.
I'm doing it for the least of these and therefore, I'm doing it for Him.
And because of that...
He calls me Faithful.
Beloved, He see's YOU.
He sees the love you give your children,
the stories you read to them,
the meals you make
the hours of playing barbies and xbox
and watching Frozen clips for the millionth time
He sees you waiting, praying, hoping...
daily living.
He hears the encouraging words you say to your husband.
He sees when you respect and honor and uplift the man He gave you
as your helper in this difficult life.
He sees the hurts, the sacrifices, the pain.
He cares about your future together.
He sees every look, every caress, every smile, every tear.
He cares about the loads of laundry, the daily sweeping, even the dog!
He sees the hard work you put in at your job,
the hours away from your family.
He sees you at the 3 a.m. feedings when you are exhausted.
He sees you when you hold your baby in your arms and soothe his tender cries.
He sees you soothe every boo boo and pray against the monsters and bad dreams.
He sees you in early morning as you frantically search for homework and permission slips and fund raising money and shoes that never are in the right place.
He sees you in the 30 minute car pool line,
the driving from ballet to piano to football and gymnastics.
He sees you holding broken hearts as you pray for the right words of sympathy and healing.
He sees you battling teenage drama and heartache.
He sees you fighting for your children at every age.
He sees you at the foot of every little bed, as you kiss goodnight and pray for restful nights.
He sees you as you wave good bye each time they leave for that college dorm.
He sees how much you love others,
the way you minister to your neighbor or co-worker
or the little children in your Sunday school class and the friend who needs your love.
He sees You.
And for all these things and so much more,
He calls you Faithful.
1 comment:
Encouraging words!!
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