Surround yourself with wisdom

Do you talk to your children about how to choose their friends?  If you homeschool then you have heard the question,

“What about socialization?” 

To me, socialization is much, MUCH more than just giving your kids the chance to be around other kids. Socialization is about teaching your children how to choose the right kinds of people to be around.  It’s about having a heart for people and realizing that sometimes you will be in the position to give; sometimes you will have to graciously accept from others who give.  It’s about learning when to be bold and stand up for what y0u believe in and when to be quiet and sit back and pray.

I am talking to my little arrows about friends this week. While I was studying, I found a LOT of scripture pertaining to friendships.

Proverbs 12:26 The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray.

Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

Proverbs 22:24, 25 Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, Lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul.

There are so many more I could share!  We think about this, as parents, don’t we? I mean we do not want to see our children leave the path God has for them and follow a wrong set of friends into the unknown.

This week in church, for Heart of the Winter (people from the body of our church sharing their hearts) - the topic was this very thing…but for all of us!  Surround yourself with friends who can stretch you, whom you can glean from – people who you want to be around! 

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

On top of that, be a friend to others; reach out to others and invest in them! 

We find life when we nurture the life of another. We find healing when we minister healing to the wounded. 

It isn’t enough to just love God – we have to love His people too.  That means being His hands and feet.

Yesterday when I posted about my life message - Susan commented and asked if I think it is scriptural to suppose that the struggles we face as Christians tend to have a sort of “theme” that helps us see our life’s message? Yes, I really do. God has hand painted each of us with a unique gifting that gives purpose to our lives; HIS purpose.  When we truly seek that out, lean into Him as we seek our own Life Message, I believe He does give us all kinds of struggles, and victories – that build into the theme of our Life Message!

So really think about who you surround yourself with…are your friends building you up, or pulling you down? Do you glean from the way they live their lives – do they stretch you and challenge you to grow? What kind of friend are you?

Be blessed,

From My Heart To Yours - Laurel

What is YOUR life message?

Our Pastor has challenged us, within the house, to ask ourselves what our ‘life message’ is.   What is the theme or message that God’s been molding in your life over the years – the bedrock of your life?

For YEARS, I’ve been praying for my church family. Specifically, I’ve been praying that the ‘diamonds in the rough’ are really exposed and begin to shine.  I’ve been praying over my Evangel family that we can all take what Tony teaches (the message God gives through his teachings), and go out and multiply it in our own unique way. Sometimes we’re afraid to step forward because we feel we may not have anything unique to offer…maybe all we need is a little encouragement.  I’ve been really inspired by the messages shared – encouraged.

As I’ve thought about my bedrock, my own life message – I’ve been so blessed by the things God is revealing to me…and to be honest, a little afraid at times too.  So what is my life message?

 Vulnerability

 A Heart to Serve…

  For some, this thought it terrifying. I know, first hand – as most of you do, that being vulnerable can be scary.  It can lead to heartache and disappointment. My husband hates it when my heart is broken (I love that his heart desires to protect me), therefore he’s always telling me to guard my heart more fiercely. To him, (especially when it comes to his wife) it’s better to keep things close than to put them out there and risk being hurt.  He’s been hurt a few times, himself. Yet, this is the way God made me.  I’m a sharer, an encourager.

To deny that would be like denying myself the ability to breathe.

However, when directed by God (and prayerfully covered), being vulnerable can also lead to others feeling that they are safe to be vulnerable. Something unique happens when you open your heart to others – to where God leads you in regard to others. 

If I could share my heart, my struggles, my dreams, my failures – and help just one heart; then I’d do it in a minute. I’d rather try and fail than not try at all.

 

Fall Forward - Fail forward

 

For me, it’s impossible to think of serving with a Heart of Christ, without being vulnerable. I know that He’s given me a unique heart to share. It comes naturally to me. Perhaps vulnerability and compassion do not come naturally to you.

A garden does not grow without tending to it.

You can cultivate compassion and vulnerability. I can honestly say that it is definitely a gift I’ve had to cultivate over the years…and I’ve done so only by constant trust and faith in God to provide for me. Send someone a card to say you are thinking about them – this small gesture can change a life!  Tell someone, when you see they’re struggling, that they aren’t alone. 

Your life message won’t be the same as mine and I’m certainly not saying you have to deny your own and follow what I say is important. What I’m simply saying is that if we can cultivate a heart that listens and hears the life messages of others – we can take those little blossoms from each garden and add them to our own gardens!

Kindness

Compassion

Vulnerability

Your heart walking with Christ’s.

From my heart to yours, with love ~ Laurel

Fellowship Friday with Darcie, part 2

Welcome my dear friend, Darcie, as she shares the rest of her story.

Our God is strong and mighty, but He is also a gentleman. I realize that the entire time I was in the “depths of despair,” he was right there crying beside me; patiently waiting to be asked for help.

One thing I have learned about depression is that it has a lot to do with listening to, and believing the lies that the enemy is whispering in our ears. Do you know he will attack us the hardest in the areas we can be the most effective? But God’s purpose for us cannot be overrun by whispered lies! Let God be the still, small voice- of encouragement, strength, peace and love.

And when we ask, He will never let us down. This act of surrender is like none other, and can be so very difficult.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This brings me to my third lesson.

A lesson of faith

I can’t do it on my own. Some days I think, If I could just have MORE faith, if I could only believe just a little more… Matthew 17:20, Jesus tells his disciples that they don’t have enough faith, and all they need is an amount as small as a mustard seed in order to move mountains. Does this mean they could have physically moved mountains? (Don’t we expect ourselves to be able to do sometimes?) Or would God move those mountains, cast out those demons, conquer those fears, FOR them? The only amount of faith I need is that which believes that…

My God is able to conquer life’s unconquerable’s

My faith in these circumstances simply need EXIST. And that is a feat in itself in the darkness of a valley. This is not always easy and there have been many times I have felt like giving up. In fact, I think I DID give up. But the glimmer, the small light that is my faith, has never gone out. I have seen that with much patience and perseverance, he WILL move mountains. I am still learning it does not need to happen in my time and my way.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘Plans to good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I realize there are seasons in our lives in which faith and hope seem more like verbs than nouns. But at this point in my life, the sweetest thing is, all my Dad wants me to do is hang in there, and let Him do his work.

Surrender – Trust – Believe

The final thing (for now) that God has been showing me, is that it is far more productive to choose to be teachable, rather than fight the teacher. I will be the first to admit I have “some” control-issues in my life. One of my biggest stressors lately has been my plans for my future versus God’s plan (and I happen to know there are some BIG plans coming). I start thinking about what I want to happen and how amazing it would be…then I begin to worry; what if God has different plans? He’s going to ruin everything!

At this point I turned to my trusty journal to write down what I knew the Lord was saying to me. He said:

• Do you believe that I can do more than you could ever ask or imagine?
• Do I not have the BEST plan in mind for your life?
• Did you ever think that, perhaps, it just might be BEYOND your wildest dreams?

TRUST ME - I AM FOR YOU

 It was a bit of a shock for me to realize I had STOPPED trusting him. I had stopped believing He was for me.  My valley was so deep and dark that I’d started believing lies.

There is a great difference between fumbling around in the dark, and following the One with the lantern

I had to decide (again) to follow my Leader; to listen to His voice, to learn from His lessons. Fumbling around in the dark is no way to get out of a valley.

Romans 8:32-38. V32 Since He did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?

One day at a time, my friends, one day at a time.

Blessings, Darcie

PS- in the time of writing this entry my husband has been put on salary at his job!! Praise God for answered prayer!! We will now have regular income, medical benefits, and a little more peace of mind!

Isn’t it nice to know that, even at our worst, God is still at his best?

Thank you Jesus for this chance to share Darcie’s heart. Thank you for the ways you work in us, through us. Pour Yourself evermore into this dear friend and continue to draw our friendship closer to you. Make your face shine upon Darcie and her family and just wrap her beneath the tender blanket of your love and mercies. AMEN

Fellowship Friday with Darcie Voorhees

Welcome to

Fellowship Friday

I’d like to introduce a very good friend of mine.  Darcie is wife to Gabe and homeschooling Mom to 4 littles.  She has been my confidant, my prayer partner, my shoulder to cry on and my dear friend, for years. I’ll be sharing her story in two parts so stay tuned for tomorrow’s post as well.

My family had our ups and downs growing up, but there was financial stability in it all. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, that stability was fundamental for me and for my life today. My husband and I have been married nearly 10 years now. We have four beautiful children and are very happy in our home. However, our struggle up to this point has been in our finances. Not because of spending issues mind you,and our debt load is minimal.  My husband had been a youth pastor and our yearly income was about $25,000. We managed quite nicely, as I happen to be great at sticking to a budget!   God was very faithful to us as people randomly brought us groceries, babysat for free, paid for our vehicle repairs. God had other plans for us, it seems, and my husband ended up getting a job in the oil and gas industry.  The security that I was hoping for was not to be found. Our paychecks were not guaranteed and came in uneven numbers, bills paid every OTHER month if we were lucky, and the amount of faith needed in this secular job was more than we’d ever experienced in ministry!

Such a huge lesson to know that our security cannot be sought in our paycheck, from our employer. It MUST come from Him!!

This past 2 years has been a roller coaster ride and has recently brought me to new lows that I didn’t think possible. When Laurel shared about depression, I knew where she was coming from! My valley got so deep these past few months, I didn’t think I could ever get out. So, I thought I would share some of the things God has been revealing to me, in what seems like an ongoing theme.

My first biggest lesson (probably of my lifetime) is that

God does not promise us a life of perfection, carefree and easy.

Psalm 23:4 Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect me and comfort me.

There most certainly will be hard times! He DOES promise to never leave us alone. Valley’s are VERY difficult places to be. In my case, I think I made it harder for myself because I often fight the process the ENTIRE way! It’s in these times that I like to read the book of Job.  He was a man whose valley got so deep he went to hell and back.  I take a twisted kind of comfort in Job’s pain, anguish and sorrow; because, no matter HOW HARD it gets in my life, it is only ever a fraction of what he had to endure!  It might be a bit of an odd perspective - but it is real. It also comforts me to know that others, too, have hard times and I am not alone (no matter what lies I’m listening to)!  Another part I love about Job’s story is that…

Even in the very darkest moments of his life he did not turn his back on God.

I’m not sure that I can honestly say this of myself. Although I have never walked away for good, there have certainly been times when God and I have not been on speaking terms! I feel so alone, unloved and abandoned, confused and hurt, that I, a Daughter of the King, could be in this position!  Yet, I gain strength from Job’s resolve because he NEVER gave up! God has proven to me time and again that relying on my own strength is utterly USELESS in any situation!!

I think this is the second major lesson I have learned thus far…

No matter how many times I try to do things on my own, I fail.

My problem is that I like to think that I know the best way to go about things! I am HORRIBLE at sitting back and letting something unfold as it sometimes must. Drives me crazy!! But as I continue to learn to surrender, trust and obey, the Lord shows me every time that He is “more than able to accomplish what concerns me today”! Eph. 6 tells us to put on the whole Armour of God so we can stand firmly. We can’t fight a battle without the proper protection! As I walked through my very dark valley, I lost hope; and it was a very lonely, scary place to be. It was easy to say all was fine, and then one word, one incident, one ounce of extra pressure sent me right back into depths I couldn’t climb out of on my own. There it is..

ON MY OWN

I had to give in. I had to allow God, whom I was fairly angry with, to have access to my pain. I had to hand over control of ME again which was not an easy task, given my current frame of mind. The decision to ALLOW healing had to be mine. He won’t force Himself on us.

Rev. 3:20 Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in , and we will share a meal together as friends.

Please join me tomorrow was we share the rest of Darcie’s story.

Be blessed friends, From My Heart To Yours

Can laundry be sexy?!

It has never bothered me to get kitchen appliances or household items as gifts.  Anything that came make my daily tasks easier, is a gift to me.

For several years now our washer/dryer unit has been very sad. First the wash machine would work so hard that it would just quit (overheat) and when it cooled down, you could start it again. Last week it took me an entire day to do ONE load of wash!  I’ve been babying that thing along for some time now!  Our dryer squeals – a high pitched, horrifying, hair pulling squeal.  This too, has gone on for years. My Mom is always telling me that there is a difference between frugal and cheap!

Yesterday my sweetie pie took the day off and took me to town to buy a new washer/dryer. Oh, I love this man.  We got a front load washer and dryer that can be stacked (for our tiny house).  We chose one that has a quiet package of 9 (the highest there is).  Our laundry unit is right in the middle of the house so I can not tell you how I value this.  It has all kinds of fancy bells and whistles.

Then, the children fell to sleep on our 2 hour drive home and Mr. H and I held hands the whole way home…right before Valentine’s Day too! 

Between that and him setting up my new laundry system, my love tank will be filled up for WEEKS…

Very sexy!

So can laundry be sexy?  I guess it’s all in how you look at it!!!

The Heart of Romance

Today, at Crysalis, we’re talking about

“How to Celebrate February 14 Every Day of the Year.”

Welcome to Marriage Monday

Happy Monday friends!

I wanted to talk to you about something special and important today. Valentine’s Day is coming fast. When I think of Valentine’s Day

I think of the heart

Doesn’t the heart of every woman want to feel cherished, valued, and deeply loved? Don’t you want to know, without a doubt, that your husband thinks you are beautiful?

For many woman, Valentine’s Day is a day of dashing hopes, disappointed hearts and broken expectations.  Here in Boonsville, we are always calving when Valentine’s Day comes. This means we can’t leave the ranch and we’ve been up several times in the night, for weeks already. We’re exhausted.  There is no energy for romance.

For many years it was a long fall from my expectations on Valentine’s Day, to reality.

I began to pray

I prayed that God would reveal  romance to me. I prayed that He would show me the heart of my husband.

My mind went back to the day I was hurriedly cooking supper, which was late. The kids were hungry, the house was in disarray.  In walked my husband after a refreshing walk, with one single flower in hand. It was a Lady’s Slipper, a delicate orchid like flower that grows on the forest floor…named for its appearance.  This delicate flower looks like the slipper of a tiny forest princess.  Exasperated and harried, I put it in water and set it on the counter.

 

A whispering breeze…You are beautiful

 

Now I thought back to the time I was busy with schooling the children. Desperately concentrating on the mathematical mayhem before me, frustration building…

“Want to go for a walk?” he asks. “The sun is shining.” He smiles at me.

 

A loving hug, a warm whisper…You are my sun. You are worthy of my time. I adore you.

 

I remembered the day I was picking up socks and gathering laundry when he gave me the smile; and shut the bedroom door.  Thinking to myself (but thankfully not speaking it), “ARE you kidding? Have you seen the pile of laundry out there?!”

 

A sweet embrace…I am enraptured by your love, entranced by your beauty.

 

Sometimes we miss the romance in the busy-ness of our day as Wife and Mom. Supper can wait. Math won’t go away. Laundry will still be there. The world won’t fall.

Take the time to embrace those moments. Appreciate the romance in them. Pray to hear the heart of your love.

 

My husband is sweet and thoughtful and thinks of all kinds of little details everyday to make me feel loved.  Don’t allow expectations to steal your joy on February 14th. It is not about the day.

It’s about the heart

I know that in my husband’s eyes, I am beautiful, valuable, and worthy of his time and affections…that he is enraptured with my love.

Solomon 1:14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms

In the vineyards of En Gedi

I know that my husband’s heart walks with mine

So, From My Heart To Yours – everyday, may the heart of romance wrap around you, and your marriage, like the gardens of En Gedi. 

No church today

I don’t get to go to church today.  However, I don’t dare complain because I HAVE gotten to go the past two weeks!  It almost seems to me like God hand chose those two weeks for me to make it to church – with messages that were meant JUST FOR MY HEART!!!!  Both of these messages were a soothing balm to my waiting heart. I wish you could all experience the true blessing that my church family is to me and I pray that each of you is just as blessed in your own family! 

So today I’m going to pray for my church family. Do you ever think to pray for your church family?

Dear Jesus, thank you for the home you’ve given me in Evangel Chapel. Thank you for the heart and spirit of love that resides in that house.  Father, thank you for the way that You have used these past weeks to bring out the diamonds and gems in the rough – and to polish them so that Your love shines through them so brightly that every heart is touched…not one stone is left unturned. Continue to nudge each and every person in that house to invest in the heart of Evangel.  Maybe it’s greeting someone at the door (thank you Sheila – I adore you for that), or working in woman’s ministry (thank you Tara, Jenn, Louise and others), or maybe it’s the heart-felt smile someone shares with you, the kind that says they really mean it (thank you Pieta), the great way you always make people laugh (thank you Nick), the way you reach out to new people (thank you Terry), or the way you reach out in friendship (thank you Kendra, Darcie and others)  - or a gentle hug (thank you Sara) or a caring word of encouragement (thank you Tony)…Lord thank you for the amazing leadership team at Evangel.  I ask that you put a hedge of protection around them today. I ask that you knit their hearts together with unity and passion for the house.  I pray that you bring out the strengths in each, to compliment one another as they work together. Give each of them wisdom as to when to be bold, and when to be quiet – when to step forward and guide, when when sit back and be guided.  Remind each of them that sometimes it is our time to pour into the hearts of others – while sometimes it is our time to rest in You, and be poured into by others.

Thank you for the way Tony and Sara challenge us everyday.  Remind each of us within the Evangel family, to take these challenges to heart. Reveal to each of us what it means to take what Tony shares out into the city and let the love of Jesus flow in the streets of our city – like pure milk.  Remind each of us that the house is a body (Your body Jesus). No one should walk alone. No one should suffer quietly. Give the parts of the body that are the ears – a heart to hear the cries of the lonely or needy. Give the hands the energy and wisdom needed to come along side one another and work with hands of joy.  Give those feet the endurance they need to run the race for those who are too weary to walk on their own. Give the arms strength to hold the house together and the legs strength to be a strong foundation in prayer for the house. Give the eyes truth and compassion that leads the hands to work.  Take all of the parts of the house – even the toes and the eyelashes – and knit their hearts together as one. One passion. One heart. One house.  Open our house to be vulnerable to one another, to walk along side one another with open hearts.  Fill our house with compassion that reaches into our community and into our city and into our world. 

Be with each heart today as they sit and be filled with the message. Remind them what a gift it is to worship in the house and to be part of a family that is filled with the joy of the Lord. Your heart walks with theirs Father…let their hearts walk with Yours.

In Jesus name, bless Evangel Chapel as a house, and all who enter it.

AMEN

A Marriage Transformed

Welcome to Fellowship Friday

 

I’d like to introduce you Kristi.  She is a daughter to the King, wife to one amazing man and home schooling mom of 2…and a special friend of mine. I hope you are blessed by the story she has to share…

The years have flown by. I remember thinking back then that I might not make it and that today was so many, many years away. But I am here. Today is here and I made it. God was so faithful to me back then even though I had yet to realize just how much more I needed Him, how little of a relationship had with Him.

My life turned upside down and at the time I thought it was shattered forever. My husband had admitted to having an affair. We’d only been married 3 years and we had a 9 month old son. He left that night and I had no idea what my future would hold. Facing being a single mom with no job was devastating. Losing the one person I loved, trusted, adored and shared my inner most being with was heart wrenching. The one person I needed to pour my heart out to, share my heartache, my fears – was the one causing the pain.  I’d not only lost my husband but I lost my best friend. 

After 3 weeks of being separated and filing for divorce, God worked a miracle in my husband’s heart. He wanted me back. I knew it would be hard. I had no idea how we would begin the process of putting our marriage back together. All I knew, was that I wanted my family back together. My husband would have to change, he’d have to prove himself trustworthy. 

We were in major financial distress, there was no way we could afford counseling. We were not attending church at the time so we had no Pastor or church support. I just figured we could do it on our own, we both wanted to heal our marriage. I thought all I had to do was sit back and do nothing. I mean, after all, my husband caused all the pain, he’d done all the damage. He’d have to be the one to change and fix it. 

Boy, was I wrong. I was standing in my kitchen several weeks after we had reconciled. I was closing a cupboard door after getting some item out of it. The door slammed harder than I expected and in that instant God did something. He sent me flashbacks. It was just like in the movies, only in my mind - not on a movie screen. He showed me every time I had said or done something that neglected my husband. I remembered doing those things. But God did something different in these flashbacks, something I had not seen at the time I was doing them.

He showed me the pain I had caused my husband.

He showed me how I hurt my husband’s heart with my cruel words; the times I had dismissed him; when I chose other people or things over him and how extremely selfish I was. I sat on my kitchen floor sobbing. I had caused incredible pain to my husband. And here I thought, he was to blame for all our problems.

That was the moment that God reached down to my heart and started changing me. There were times I literally cried and yelled out to Him that I was not going to do what He wanted, that it was too hard. He heard my cries and yet, with tenderness he said, “Apologize to your husband for all these wrongs.”

I had so many doubts going through my head. You know the ones that start with “But, God.”

• But, God what if he tells me that the things I said and did were the very reasons he had the affair? I just can’t handle hearing that.
• But, God what if he doesn’t forgive me?
• But, God, what I said and did was not nearly as destructive to our marriage as what he did; so why do I have to do this?
• But, God, some of what I said and did was so many years ago, he won’t even remember them.

God gently pushed me to give up my pride. My husband came home from work several hours later, I told him the whole story through many tears and my last words were, “I’m so very sorry for all the hurt and pain I’ve caused you.” He hugged me and his reply would be the start of healing in our marriage.

“It’s ok, I have already forgiven you.”

 God didn’t stop there, He continued to gently push me over the years. God continued to show me that my actions, my thoughts and especially my words were destructive to our marriage. The Lord was so good to me even when I didn’t deserve it. He convicted me over the years to quit talking badly about my husband to my friends and family; to quit discussing, with great detail, any argument or disagreement my husband and I had.

To be the wife my husband needed me to be, not the wife I thought I should be.

Was any of this easy? No. There were times I thought God was asking way too much of me and that I couldn’t possibly do all He asked. It was incredibly painful at times. But through all the pain, through all the struggles, I praise God everyday for saving my marriage.

My husband is a great man. He and I both recommitted our lives to the Lord a couple of years after the affair.

I’m so thankful for the affair…

…in some ways it was the best thing that ever happened to our marriage. Most people think I’m crazy when I say that, so I don’t admit it very often. God used what Satan intended for destruction; to change me into a better wife and a better person. Today my marriage is beautiful because of all that the Lord has done.

Thank you so much Kristi for sharing your heart.  You have blessed me in ways you will never know, with your friendship.  Knowing both you and your husband, my favorite part is that God loves  you both beyond measure!  He united two hearts as one…

Jesus, continue to bless Kristi’s marriage. Thank you for the woman she is in You, for the man Kevin is.  Thank you for saving their marriage and blessing their family. May Your face shine upon them always as you fill their home with peace.

Join me tomorrow

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is

 

Fellowship Friday

 

I’m really excited about my guest tomorrow so stay tuned!

I just wanted to say today, friends – how deeply I appreicate you coming here to share my day. It’s nice to have you. Leave me a comment and let me know you’ve stopped by.

Be blessed today.

From My Heart To Yours

Our Salvation Walk

Hey friends, I wanted to put something out here and hope it will encourage others who are walking the same journey of being unequally yoked.

I’ve been praying for my unsaved husband for more than 10 years now.  I’ve said this before but my pastor is having the Evangel family share their hearts and stories with all of us. It’s been a really great journey of getting to know the hearts of our house.  2 weeks back now, the gentleman who spoke shared about his own journey and about the power of his wife’s prayers.  I have asked him to share his story with you here, in the coming weeks (stay tuned to Fellowship Fridays). His journey was so encouraging to me. I am always inspired and excited to see God raising up mighty men, out of darkness.

However, what his message spoke most to me was hope in God’s everlasting love and provision for His children – His families. I have no doubt, what-so-ever, that God is drawing and wooing Mr. H every single day.  So instead of focusing on the time I’m longing and waiting for him to fall to his knees (and feeling a little sorry for myself at times) - I am going to focus on the time to come; once he has gotten up off of his knees!

It is so exciting to think on this, to pray over it and plan for it!  I’m going to pray for Mr. H’s wife (yep, that’s ME) to have a heart that listens in that time. Remember when you were a new Christian; how exciting it was and how everything was new – the eyes of learning about the King were opened to you?!  I’m going to pray that I will be ever thoughtful of the battle that will be going on within him in the weeks that follow his salvation.  The enemy won’t give up that easily.  It’s hard to find the balance between what you want to do (what you’ve been doing for years) and how to get where God is leading you.  I’ll pray that my own heart will continue moving forward as I learn through my beloved’s eyes and walk with him. 

One of the bigger things to me, right now - is my prayer that my husband will be drawn to Evangel Chapel (my home church now) as our family’s church. It would be extremely difficult for me to change churches.  However, if it is His will for our family, I pray that I will have a heart of obedience and that I’ll be sensitive to His leading as He teaches my husband to lead our family in a new way.

I was talking with a friend the other day, about the ‘waiting’.  She and her husband have just lost a pregnancy so she understand about walking through something hard, about the waiting involved and just trusting God. She reminded me that it’s in the season of waiting that God often speaks to us the most – draws us ever closer to Him.

So today, I’ll be grateful for the waiting…grateful for a God who gives me hope and promises me that He won’t let my husband and I be unequally yoked forever – that he loves my husband more than I do even! Today I’ll still be longing and waiting but I’ll also be looking ahead to a time when both my husband and I are on our knees together – and I’ll pray for wisdom for both of us as we get up off of our knees and start walking…together.

From My Heart To Yours