Shane's Wedding Day

I was so excited to get up this morning and get ready for Shane's wedding. Shane has always had a special place in my heart. He spent alot of time at my house when he was growing up and because his mom and I are so close, I think of him like a son. I am thrilled that he found the sweetest girl, Christy, and we are so happy to have her as
part of our family now. I have prayed ALL week and throughout the wedding today that Shane and Christy would overcome the odds and have a LONG, forever married life. I know they cannot make that happen without putting God first. So I mostly prayed that Shane would make his relationship with the Lord a priority and that he would obey God's leading to be the leader of his family. Pastor Mike gave us 3 "G" words to think about with marriage today in the ceremony. Guard your hearts and marriage, Grow together and make that relationship a priority, and Give God the glory for good times and bad.

Weddings are so fun. To get dressed up in our finest clothes (although people don't do that much anymore--I think it is a GREAT excuse to get something new and get real fussy about how I look for a change.) I love to make the day all about the two that are getting married. I am often tempted to want to do something else, but my wedding day was so special and I expected the traffic to stop because I was getting married, so why shouldn't that be how everyone getting married should be treated. I never go to a wedding without thinking about my wedding!! I was so nervous and so glad to finally be getting the man I wanted. My mom and Carol Hillman made the church and the church basement look so beautiful that day. It was a great day---mostly just to have all my friends and family in one place to help me celebrate one of the biggest days in my life. Let's face it the next time you get all those people together could be at a funeral, so let's enjoy the company when we are at weddings. So if you are reading this and getting married---invite me!!!

The next thing I think about at weddings is how hard the married life has been. I am not saying that because David has been hard to live with. I am saying that because I haven't been so easy to live with. I was not grown up or ready to get married when I did. So David had to painfully put up with me becoming a woman. That was not easy. I have done sooooo many things wrong that I really wish I could go back and fix, do over, make it better. BUT, I can't so I have had to learn the hard way, sometimes learn 2 and 3 times before I begin to understand that God intended for me to make other choices, act in different ways, say something wiser. I guess I am saying I am so glad that David, my sweet husband, has decided that I was worth the wait, that I was worth hanging on to. That when the going got tough, he got out of my way!!!! I truly do want to grow old with the man, OK, he hasn't been all that easy to live with, but I would not want to live with anyone else. I want to be old, feeble, and still holding his hand. So, that meant and still means today that I must really work at this marriage, that I must give in when I don't want to, and not always have my own way. Most of all I have had to say to my heavenly Father, "Lead me, tell me what to do, what to say. Change me because I can't change him." The Lord has been faithful to my prayers and hopefully I have changed for the better and will continue to make this marriage a great one.

It has been a sentimental day for me. I looked around the room at the reception and realized that I knew alot of people there who had been thru more than one marriage, who has been hurt over and over, and is hurting today.I know what this world needs, and it is JESUS. To obey Jesus and listen to Him would make our lives so much easier, why can't we get that!!! Help us Lord to love you more, to turn our eyes on you, so that the things of this world will become strangely dim in the light of Your glory and grace.

January 24, 2009

This week has been quite a blur. A mother's work is never done. When your child is hurting, sick, or just needs you there is a seeming magnetic force that pulls you in their direction. Might I mention that when my husband needs me I feel an even stronger pull to help him. Although it seems easier sometimes to help my kids. You see both needed me this week. There are talks of a layoff and so my husband will most likely lose his job this month. That scares all of us. I say scares, but yet, we know that God has some other plan in mind. The scary thing is where is He going to take us. I say scary again, although, I am not scared of God leading me, I am scared that I cannot go where He wants me to go. But the song "Great is Thy Faithfulness" comes to my mind. I can only reflect on the thousands of times in the last 28 years of our marriage that God remained so faithful thru many scary times. I am crying even now, knowing that my God has never forsaken me, never turned His back on me., but is always waiting for me to hold His hand and be led by His side. I have not been faithful, but He has, and IS!!

I watched this week while my newest grandaughter and her parents struggled with her having croup and how we want to have croup instead of her. How she smiled even tho she was so sick and gave us many reasons to rejoice that God gave her to our family.

I watched my next grandaughter have a terrible viral illness that left her lethargic, not eating, not playing, just miserable. How again, I would rather that I had the illness than her.

My daughters both got sick when their babies got sick and I want to be there for them and help them as much as I can.

My son is becoming a man. He is desperately trying to find his place in this world. He has not learned to lean on our Father and that makes me hurt for him.

Through these trials this week, I know that if I want to help my kids this much, that my heavenly Father must want to help me even more. Why am I so resistant at times to accept what He has to give me. Here's what my daystarter from Pastor Pothoven said today:

When Jesus came to their home, Martha busied herself in making preparation for His visit." She was truly doing a good work. But, Jesus said, "Martha . . . you are worried and upset about many things." Of Mary we read that she "sat at His feet listening to what He said." Jesus said that Mary chose to learn at His feet, which was the "better" thing.

Joshua once said to the people; fear the Lord, serve Him faithfully and put away your idols. "Choose you this day whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:14. A very wise choice!

Sometimes the choice is between good and bad. Other times it may be between the good and the better or the best.

Lord, forgive me when I have made unwise choices

and help me to choose the better things in life.

Surely, to sit at Your feet and learn from You

is one of the best choices I can make. Amen.

May I make choices this week that honor the Lord. May others see God at work in my life, especially my husband and my kids. May I take the TIME to sit at God's feet and learn from him.