encouraging women to live life from under the pile
A Story of God's Grace, Mercy, and Pursuit
Taking time to share the story of how God has weaved His workings throughout my life is always a grounding and emotional experience. Each time I reflect, I see points of intersection that were blurry during the time but now shine crystal clear. That is, indeed, the glory of God…he is Omnipotent and Omnipresent. He is the puzzle-maker extraordinaire and we are just one tiny, glorious piece in the puzzle.
I was brought up in a traditional home, with mom and dad and middle class values. My only sister is just 2 1/2 years younger, and we had the typical hostile sibling rivalry. Mom, and Italian Catholic nurtured our spiritual upbringing while my non-practicing Jewish father spent all hours of the day and late into the night bringing home the bacon. Traditional, yes, and dysfunctional, definitely. A legacy of physical abuse permeated our home as well as volatile verbal temperaments. My home life was tumultuous, to say the least and as a result, I resisted anything that resembled authority and refused to conform, unless it was to look like a “mall-chick” with big hair and clothes from the gap. By the time I was 15, I had a list of at least 25 colleges that I wanted attend…just to get away from all the fighting and yelling in my house. I shifted my group of friends from those who were happy to play board games on Friday night to those who were interested in stops at dairy barn for beer. As far as my parents were concerned, I was just out for the night. I stopped going to mass completely and pushed God, the Pope, and my family’s values to the back of my mind. The trend continued for another four years, spiraling to a point of being completely intoxicated the entire week of finals during the spring term of my sophomore year of college.
While I had been running from God, and everyone else, He was chasing me down. I spent my summers working at a local Christian (as required by my mother) and became friends with a number of what I loved to call – Jesus Freaks and Bible-thumpers. With the long, tiring camp days, there was not much time to catch up with my high school friends…but lots of time to hear about the Love of God and Hope for a future if you know Jesus. Honestly, I thought they were all nuts, but nice.
It was during one of those summers I met my future husband through mutual friend working at camp. Of course, I wanted to marry him….just like every other male species that crossed my path back then. But he was a tough chase, not looking to hook up like other college guys and not minding to stick around even if I told him never to talk to me about Jesus again. Summer after summer we passed the time together, but just as “friends”!
As my junior year of college approached, I headed to London for a study abroad program. My future-husband sent me off with Max Lucado’s,
"No Wonder They Call Him the Savior: Experiencing the Truth of the Cross". I read it cover to cover by the end of the first week and was challenged to examine my faith and obsession with wearing a cross. Then I met Susie, a pastor’s daughter from Florida living in the same building. She and I became best buds – an answer to prayer for Stephen– he and his best friend were praying that I would meet a Christian girl that would love to shop and dance! God delivered exactly as requested. Susie gained my trust
and love through many trips shopping at Covent Garden.
Her friendship was critical when I received an unexpected call from my love informing me that our friend Nicole’s mom lost her long battle with cancer. I wept, yelled, and ran to Susie. How could God take such a wonderful woman who loved Him so much. When I was with Nicole’s mom, I felt God’s presence. She was like an angel. Susie took me right to scripture. She explained point after point of God’s great plan of salvation. She emphasized that this life on earth is a gift. It is temporary. Life in heaven with Jesus is where we should all want to be for eternity.
I challenged her….and I wanted to know how I would be sure I could go to heaven. Looking at my life of promiscuity, rebellion, and abusive habits, I doubted whether my good works would be enough. Susie explained that all I had to do would believe that God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that I could be forgiven for my sins. I challenged her again, “But how do I know if this is really true?” She said you won’t, until you choose to have faith to believe it.
I left her room and headed straight to my bed, pulled out my journal, and told God I would give him a chance and choose to believe in Jesus as my Savior. I woke up the next morning, bounded out of my bunk bed, announced to my four roommates that I was born-again and want to be just like Jesus. They looked at me like I had flown the coop. That night, I went straight to the pub and got tipsy just like every other night. But it didn’t feel quite the same.
Slowly, very slowly, God began a work in me that very moment and day-after-day, year-after-year, He has revealed himself and His truth to me in way that gives me hope, comfort, at times confusion, but mostly relief that I no longer have to be in charge and that He will take care of all my needs. If He sent his son to die for me, why would he abandon me now? It is only I that can choose to walk away, not Him. That is the gift I reopened again and again each time I think about how the Jesus choose to die on a cross for me. Every time the Lord takes care of my needs, I hear my Heavenly Father saying, dear one, my precious daughter, allow me to meet all of your needs and give you this gift of life again and promise of eternity ahead.
I’ve learned over the past decade of living as a Christian, that there is no better gift then to accept the life and Lordship of Christ in your life. Everything else will come and go, live and die, but with Christ there is a future and hope that transcends time. It is the ultimate gift.
Shared to give God the glory,
a.k.a. the Laundry Procrastinator
I am a part of the "Bloggy Tour of Testimonies" sponsored by Lauren of "Created for His Glory." Click here to read more inspiring testimonies.
posted December 4, 2006
Taking time to share the story of how God has weaved His workings throughout my life is always a grounding and emotional experience. Each time I reflect, I see points of intersection that were blurry during the time but now shine crystal clear. That is, indeed, the glory of God…he is Omnipotent and Omnipresent. He is the puzzle-maker extraordinaire and we are just one tiny, glorious piece in the puzzle.
I was brought up in a traditional home, with mom and dad and middle class values. My only sister is just 2 1/2 years younger, and we had the typical hostile sibling rivalry. Mom, and Italian Catholic nurtured our spiritual upbringing while my non-practicing Jewish father spent all hours of the day and late into the night bringing home the bacon. Traditional, yes, and dysfunctional, definitely. A legacy of physical abuse permeated our home as well as volatile verbal temperaments. My home life was tumultuous, to say the least and as a result, I resisted anything that resembled authority and refused to conform, unless it was to look like a “mall-chick” with big hair and clothes from the gap. By the time I was 15, I had a list of at least 25 colleges that I wanted attend…just to get away from all the fighting and yelling in my house. I shifted my group of friends from those who were happy to play board games on Friday night to those who were interested in stops at dairy barn for beer. As far as my parents were concerned, I was just out for the night. I stopped going to mass completely and pushed God, the Pope, and my family’s values to the back of my mind. The trend continued for another four years, spiraling to a point of being completely intoxicated the entire week of finals during the spring term of my sophomore year of college.
While I had been running from God, and everyone else, He was chasing me down. I spent my summers working at a local Christian (as required by my mother) and became friends with a number of what I loved to call – Jesus Freaks and Bible-thumpers. With the long, tiring camp days, there was not much time to catch up with my high school friends…but lots of time to hear about the Love of God and Hope for a future if you know Jesus. Honestly, I thought they were all nuts, but nice.
It was during one of those summers I met my future husband through mutual friend working at camp. Of course, I wanted to marry him….just like every other male species that crossed my path back then. But he was a tough chase, not looking to hook up like other college guys and not minding to stick around even if I told him never to talk to me about Jesus again. Summer after summer we passed the time together, but just as “friends”!
As my junior year of college approached, I headed to London for a study abroad program. My future-husband sent me off with Max Lucado’s,
"No Wonder They Call Him the Savior: Experiencing the Truth of the Cross". I read it cover to cover by the end of the first week and was challenged to examine my faith and obsession with wearing a cross. Then I met Susie, a pastor’s daughter from Florida living in the same building. She and I became best buds – an answer to prayer for Stephen– he and his best friend were praying that I would meet a Christian girl that would love to shop and dance! God delivered exactly as requested. Susie gained my trust and love through many trips shopping at Covent Garden. I challenged her….and I wanted to know how I would be sure I could go to heaven. Looking at my life of promiscuity, rebellion, and abusive habits, I doubted whether my good works would be enough. Susie explained that all I had to do would believe that God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that I could be forgiven for my sins. I challenged her again, “But how do I know if this is really true?” She said you won’t, until you choose to have faith to believe it.
I left her room and headed straight to my bed, pulled out my journal, and told God I would give him a chance and choose to believe in Jesus as my Savior. I woke up the next morning, bounded out of my bunk bed, announced to my four roommates that I was born-again and want to be just like Jesus. They looked at me like I had flown the coop. That night, I went straight to the pub and got tipsy just like every other night. But it didn’t feel quite the same.
Slowly, very slowly, God began a work in me that very moment and day-after-day, year-after-year, He has revealed himself and His truth to me in way that gives me hope, comfort, at times confusion, but mostly relief that I no longer have to be in charge and that He will take care of all my needs. If He sent his son to die for me, why would he abandon me now? It is only I that can choose to walk away, not Him. That is the gift I reopened again and again each time I think about how the Jesus choose to die on a cross for me. Every time the Lord takes care of my needs, I hear my Heavenly Father saying, dear one, my precious daughter, allow me to meet all of your needs and give you this gift of life again and promise of eternity ahead.
I’ve learned over the past decade of living as a Christian, that there is no better gift then to accept the life and Lordship of Christ in your life. Everything else will come and go, live and die, but with Christ there is a future and hope that transcends time. It is the ultimate gift.
Shared to give God the glory,
a.k.a. the Laundry ProcrastinatorI am a part of the "Bloggy Tour of Testimonies" sponsored by Lauren of "Created for His Glory." Click here to read more inspiring testimonies.