Taking Things Out of God’s Hands and Into Our Own…

In reading Bill Winston’s book titled The Kingdom of God in You, I felt prompting from the Lord to share my personal testimony based on chapter 8’s discussion of God’s promise to Abram and Sarai that “your very own son shall be your heir,” Genesis 15:4. God promised Abram that his offspring would come from his own seed and be born of Sarai, both in their old age, well past childbearing years. He promised Abram that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the heavens!

After years had passed, however, Sarai decided to take things in her own hands because God still had not provided this son He had promised. So she instructed Abram to go into her servant Hagar and have a son through her instead.

This is where my personal testimony comes in. Those who know me well and have walked through the last 35+ years of life with me know this testimony, but I believe God wants me to also share it with you, whomever you are that is reading this blog post.

You see, my first husband went home to Jesus in 1989 after a short battle with cancer, and I became a single mom of 3 children, ages 8, 6, and 5. I always believed God had another husband for me and waited for Him to bring that husband into my life, but after waiting 15 years I grew very weary of the wait. I imagine this is how Sarai might have felt (especially considering she was well past the childbearing age) and she most likely wondered if God’s promise was actually going to happen for her. Sadly, I can relate!

So just like Sarai, I decided to take matters into my own hands and seek out a husband for myself. Without making this post too long with the many details, suffice it to say that I searched on some of the Internet dating sites for a single Christian man to meet and marry, and that is exactly what I did!

I met my second husband but only knew him for six weeks before we married in 2004. Since we didn’t take time to really seek God’s direction or get to know each other well to be sure we were compatible, and most importantly that we were the one God had for each of us to marry, we began a roller coaster of a marriage that lasted for 19 years until that husband also went home to Jesus in June 2023.

Red flags? Yes! There were quite a few. Did I heed them? Absolutely not! Did I regret jumping into a marriage not arranged and directed by God? Oftentimes, yes!

BUT GOD!!

On the first occasion that I was going to leave my new husband, as I was praying for God’s direction (something I had stopped doing when I married my husband) God told me to stay and gave me a promise that He was going to make something of this marriage.

There were many other times when I wanted to leave and sometimes when we were separated, but I kept hearing God’s promise of “making something of this marriage” and telling me to stay, so I did. Was it easy? Not at all!! Oh, don’t get me wrong; we had many good times too, but the marriage was often fraught with difficulties, sadness, anger, and disappointments too, and I think that was mutual for him as well as for me.

At one point I heard a message from my pastor on Hebrews 11:1, which reads: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” My pastor had instructed us to personalize this verse and for many years I claimed it for myself, confessing “Now faith is the substance of the marriage I hoped for, the evidence of the marriage not seen.”

So as the years continued on, we had many ups and downs, but God continued to be faithful to His promise to “make something of our marriage.” I can attest to an amazing work He did in me throughout the process, years of pain and heartache, but also times of joy. My husband helped me develop a love for boating and I have many beautiful memories of those times together on several boats we owned together.

I’m not sure exactly when my husband developed Progressive Supranuclear Palsy because he was not diagnosed with it until December 2022, but he had many symptoms for quite a few years prior; we just didn’t know they were symptoms of that neurological disorder until he was diagnosed. This was a very horrible neurological disorder to watch him suffer from and I definitely promised God I would never leave him as I knew he would have been lost without me.

I thank God for the years I had with both my husbands, but most especially for all the ways God worked in me through each marriage, good, bad and indifferent. No marriage is perfect, for sure, but I definitely recommend seeking God for direction so as to enjoy the BEST marriage He has for you. But if you find yourself in a marriage you feel is wrong for you, trust God to direct you. Certainly if you are in an abusive marriage, there are outlets you can seek out for help, and God would never have you stay in an abusive situation. But if you just feel you made a mistake, as I felt that I did, trust God to lead you whether or not you should stay and allow Him to “make something of the marriage.” He did it for me, and He can do it for you!!

Servant Leadership in the Marketplace

Reading a devotional this morning, I was prompted to write this post about being a servant to others, especially in the marketplace. The scripture quoted was Mark 9:35, “And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all’

As we build businesses or work for an employer, let us have a servant mindset. Let us always strive to do our best work and to do it unto God and in service to others.

I have always loved the Zig Ziglar quote that says, “You can have everything in life that you want if you just give enough other people what they want.

Another comment worth considering from Zig Ziglar as it relates to business is this: “I suggest the greatest challenge to Christians in the business world is within – making the heart determination (simply put, the choice) to live by God’s principles and sticking with it; making the commitment to serving Christ and mankind with our efforts, our gifts and our knowledge.”

Think about it…Are you using ALL your gifts and talents in the service of others? Whether you are an entrepreneur running a business or an employee working a job, are you totally applying yourself to it in a way that serves those who benefit from what you do? Even performing a role of service in your church is an important way of serving others and honoring God in the process. I myself am a Realtor and I strive to always put my clients first. Earning commission is secondary to helping them achieve their dreams and goals.

How about you? Leave a comment about the ways you use your talents in service to others in the business or ministry you participate in.

Proverbs 3:3-6 instructs us this way:

Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and a good [b]reputation
In the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.

Stewarding Your Business for God’s Glory

It has been my desire to write and teach on ways to honor God in business, whether it be as an entrepreneur building a business of your own, or as an employee of someone else’s business. I believe the principles are very similar, if not the same. So go with me on a journey as I have done much study on this topic and am embarking on blog posts to share what I have learned. I hope many will benefit…

God designed me for a purpose in the marketplace. — Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

As Summer comes to a close…

Fall will soon be here and summer will be gone. I always find this time of year full of mixed emotions. While I do enjoy the cooler temperatures and being able to enjoy welcoming the outdoor air into our home and turning off the A/C, I always also hate to say goodbye to summer. Flip flops, shorts, short-sleeve or sleeveless tops, and NO COATS! Those are the things I will miss as the cooler weather comes in, eventually leading to winter where coats, hats, scarves, boots and gloves are almost a necessity when going outdoors.

As seasons change, we find ourselves with seasons of change in our lives in other ways as well. Maybe you’ve been through a season of difficult changes, or maybe you’ve been experiencing immense prosperity and pleasures in your life. Life is full of ups and downs, mountaintops and valleys, and many times we can find ourselves in places of waiting. Waiting for the next…you fill in the blank…

I want to encourage anyone reading this that whether you find yourself in a wonderful season that you wish would never end, or in a season of pain, disappointment, or discouragement that seems to be lasting way too long…there is hope in Jesus!

Jesus promises to be with us no matter what we go through in life. Life is never all fun and pleasure. Often there are sad times, hard times, difficult circumstances to live through, but please know that Jesus will guide and direct you through them all!

Hebrews 13:5 says that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us, and that is good news!

What’s It Like Being a Single Mom?

What’s it like to be a single mom?  It’s hard.  Its grueling.  But it’s rewarding.

God is there for you. 

I was a single mom for 15 years, raising three children ages 8, 6 and 5, when their dad went home to be with the Lord.  Oh, it was challenging for sure!!

When I first was told that he was gone I just thought, Lord, what am I going to do without him; how are we going to survive?  I told my children, “Daddy went to be with Jesus today.”  And we cried.

But we remembered him; we remembered all the wonderful things about him.  And I tried to keep him alive in their hearts by bringing him up in conversation, by abiding by rules that he had set for them – like always wearing shoes when they rode their bikes. 

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