Recently I was pondering my
life… probably because in March I turned a year older. Getting older tends to make you a little more
introspective I guess. Well, in my pondering I realized something cool. This year marks OVER half of my entire life
spent with my husband!!!
It’s hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday we were in
college dating. God totally set me up
and blessed me with an amazing man of God.
I don’t know how I could have made it the last 20 + years with out him.
As I scan over the past half
of my life, I see a lot of good that has happened. My husband and I graduated from Bible College
God has used us in ways we
never dreamed possible to do things we never could have imagined. We have been blessed to be instruments in
God’s hands to reach hearts and lives for Him.
Those impacted by our ministry still overwhelm us to this day. O
This half of my life has been
amazing for the most part, but not entirely a bed of roses. We have also faced a miscarriage, financial
hardship, I was diagnosed with a debilitating illness, there were challenging moments,
unforeseen circumstances, and the like.
Despite these trying times I
have found two things to be true.
1. My God has been and will continue to be faithful to me in good times and bad. 2. My husband has been and continues to be a constant source of strength and encouragement for me all along this journey. I am blessed on both accounts.
1. My God has been and will continue to be faithful to me in good times and bad. 2. My husband has been and continues to be a constant source of strength and encouragement for me all along this journey. I am blessed on both accounts.
We are a team! We figure when we join together and add God
to the mix…
all things are possible! Why not?
all things are possible! Why not?
As I compare the two equal
parts of my life I must confess this second half by far has been the better
half! I’m not saying the first part of
my life was horrible or anything, but my faith wasn’t fully developed. God wasn’t at the core of who I was which
made life a lot harder for me. I
struggled with my self-esteem, my life was full of fear, I cared a lot
what others thought of me (which was a huge distraction), and I was consumed
with pleasing others.
My faith was second hand… I
spent a lot of time watching & listening to what others said about
God. Getting to know God personally for
me was a process. There were moments
where God showed up and surprised me with His presence and moments I walked
away. It didn’t really stick for me until
my junior year of high school when I was 17.
God rocked the world of this
shy, introvert in such a powerful way that it changed the course of my
future. I began to own my faith! This new found faith led me to pursue a life tailored
by God. I wanted God’s best for me… no
matter what! There was a radical element hidden deep within me even then believing
God to do impossible things.
It was only a couple years
later that I met my husband. He was and
is to this day a fireball for God. He
intimidated me when I first met him with his passion for God and boldness. I had never met anyone like him before. I was drawn to him, yet I hesitated in a
sense.
He was loud in every
way. Can you imagine what I was like at
that time? Even though God had rocked me
to the core, I was still shy and a little unsure about things. I was treading forward slowly with my new
found faith. Everything was new to me
and sometimes a little scary.
Well, by God’s design guess
who He put me with? …the loud, crazy,
bold, and passionate man of God. J It’s a cool
story I will have to tell you all some time later. I SO love my life with him. God has been so good to me in blessing me
with this man. Marrying him was one of
the best decisions I have ever made.
My husband is a man of
character and integrity. He loves deeply
and lives out His faith. It’s a first
hand kinda faith. The reality of
God active in his life has transformed him!
God’s fruit runs deep within him.
He covers my insecurities,
cheers me on, and loves me fiercely. Hands
down he is the best daddy ever to our two boys.
This second half of my life has been the better half, for sure!
I have discovered in my
reflecting back upon my life that I have learned a few things… or at least I
hope I have so far in my old age. God
has been molding me and shaping me all along the way. In fact, my husband has taught me quite a few
noteworthy things as well. These are too
good to keep to myself so I thought I would share. Enjoy!
Here are some things I have learned from my
husband
(There are way too many to name, but here are a few)
~Look for the
positive in things and people FIRST
(My husband accidentally married a mostly negative
gal… oops.)
~Take time to
savor the moments
(Or as my husband chooses to say it, “don’t take this
moment for granted”)
~Make memories
(Don’t be too busy to spend quality time with your
family. Memories last a lifetime!)
~Laughter is great
medicine
(My husband has kept me laughing through good times
and bad. He keeps my heart smiling.)
~Let boys be BOYS
(My tendency is to protect & shelter, but I guess its
ok for my boys to get dirty & play hard… sometimes.)
~Dance your
troubles away
(Sometimes my husband randomly invites me to slow dance
with him. Locations have been around the
house, parking lots, fast food restaurants, many times in places where you
don’t see dancing, he is crazy like that.!)
It’s medicine
to the soul like laughter especially when I am dancing. J
~Imperfection is
okay to be displayed
(A messy house shows a life well-lived. It’s not our goal,
but occasionally it can be our reality.
It’s where we live... sometimes people need to see
that we are real people too.)
~We all fail at
some point in our lives. Failing doesn’t
make you a failure!
(We can
actually fail forward with God’s help and grow from it.)
Be the BIGGER
person when conflict arises in a relationship
(Own your part of the problem. Saying a genuine “I’m Sorry” can go a long
way to restore a broken relationship… follow it up by “Will you please forgive
me? and watch the healing begin.
Being healthy is the goal and much more important than
being right.)
~Lying breaks
trust and trust is hard to earn.
(Choose honesty every time.)
~Remain a person
of integrity even when your character is attacked
and the crowd
doesn’t believe you.
(God knows the truth! In God’s time the truth will be
revealed.)
~Believe God to do
impossible things
(Even when your faith is wavering and all hope is
gone!)
~Become a person
of Integrity
(Reflect God well! Be who you say you are all of the time.)
~Become a person
of Excellence
(Let everything you do be done to the best of your
ability. Always leave things better than
you received them. It’s the best way to
reflect God to the world and bring honor to His name)
~Quality of life
trumps quantity of money hands down any day
(At the end of our days the amount of money we earned
won’t matter to us as much as
the life we lived making memories with family and
friends or the lack there of.)
~Our priorities
dictate our peace
(Healthy priorities lead to a peaceful life. By God’s design our priorities should be in
this order:
God first… our own personal walk with Him should be
strong, Our Spouse second…if there is one… stay connected and keep growing your
relationship, Our children should be third… if we have them... raise them up in
the ways of God leading by example, and then everything else… Job, sports, friends, etc…
When God isn’t at the heart of who we are, everything
else gets out of place
and suffers leaving His peace no where to be found.)
Here are some personal things I have learned with
God’s help over the years…
~Our faith-life
can’t grow unless it is tested by God
(There should be God-fruit growing in our lives.)
~We should do two
things often…
(Say “I love you” verbally to those we love and wrap
them in hugs and kisses)
Daily doses of these tend to leave lasting impressions
on the hearts of those who receive them.
(Running AWAY from God forfeits His peace, presence,
and provision.)
(There is safety in numbers. Accountability protects us from evil and
pushes us toward good.
Find at least two accountability partners to help you
keep on track and grow closer to God.)
~God doesn’t want
my leftovers, He wants my everything!
~God’s peace
follows as I obey His leading.
~God’s timing is
perfect
(Even when He doesn’t follow my projected time table.)
~God made me on
purpose and has a plan for my life.
~God’s will isn’t
difficult.
(If I do what I know He wants me to do today, He will
lead me naturally to where I need to be tomorrow.)
~Faith begins as
we step out of the boat of our comfort zone and trust God with the details.
~Prayer is simply
talking to God like you would a close friend.
(Fancy words don’t change that.)
~The Bible is food
for our spirits.
(With out it our spirit dies.)
~Bitterness grows
where un-forgiveness lives.
(The person affected most by this destructive
poisonous venom is the carrier harboring it.)
~Life is
short. Make it count!
(We have all been given an expiration date. Live with purpose!)
~A step beyond
just living is giving
(Live to leave a legacy for the next generation.)
It’s been a crazy ride… this life of mine, but I’m in it for the long haul. I’ve still got a lot of life ahead of me and I want to make it count! What about you? What are you doing with the life God has given you? Choosing God has been the best decision I have ever made. I truly believe the best is yet to come!
Living to leave a legacy,
Julie
