“Wow, so much has changed that when I think about it I am in utter amazement at how powerful God is to save us from ourselves,” my friend wrote to me.
I hadn’t spoken to her in over 10 years but she was my best friend in grade school. Myspace brought us back together. Oh, Myspace…reuniting long lost friends (sigh). Jenny sent me her testimony a couple of weeks ago and I asked if I could share it. She said absolutely. I love people’s testimonies and hers is yet another one I have learned from. She had her first child when we were sophomore’s in high school. She married my step-brother’s best friend and moved from Charlotte to Grand Rapids. She was addicted to alcohol and contemplated leaving her husband…but why summarize when Jenny can tell her own story….
“It really brings tears to my eyes, because if it weren't for God I know our family wouldn't still be in once piece, under one roof. Thankfully He stepped in right on time! That's one thing about the Lord; He's always on time -but never early!
“So you know Nate and I were together way back. January 7th, 1995 to be precise. We were a pair. Life was about having fun. Partying and getting high. Nate proposed to me while we were both in a drunken stupor. We were destined to fail and end up divorced, but Nate had always said he would never in a million years let me divorce him. He made me promise several times that I wouldn't bail on our marriage and do that to our kids. I did, but only to appease him, really. I didn't know the first thing about commitment.
“Fast forwarding a bit; Nate and I moved out to the GR area about 9 years ago (1998). Ashley and Haleigh were just turning 6 and 2. Kenny wasn't even a thought yet. We had been together for 3 years, but had only been married at that point for 1. The honeymoon seemed to be over! I worked more than full time managing an employment agency which demanded most of my time and energy. I was so busy that when we moved I had Nate find a daycare for the girls. (after being home with my kids now for over 8 years I can't believe I trusted anyone other than myself to do that!) But he did a good job.
“He had actually hired one lady, but then as he was driving through the country by our new place, he saw a sign for another Daycare and was drawn to it. He knew he needed to check it out. So he did and he immediately sensed something different about the woman who ran it. (we now know it was the Holy Spirit that just pours out of this family). He hired her on the spot.
“Nate worked long hours, too and was out of town often so there wasn't much time for family. We weren't in church, yet. I was a believer, but not a follower. Had no idea about God and was still very confused mostly about all of the strange teachings from the Mormon church that I had attended for a few years in Jr./high school. Nate was claiming atheism. My dad had given him the nick-name ‘heathen-dog.’
“We were heading in two different directions. Working all the time and away from all of our old partying friends. (which I now see was God's handy-work) I barely had enough time for the girls, let alone Nate and he was in the same boat. At the time I was a pack and a half smoker and I drank nightly in order to just sleep at night. I tried to hide this from Nate, because he grew up with an alcoholic and was afraid I was heading down the same path. I probably was since I had resorted to trying to hide it from him. I was stressed out and missing my friends and realizing this man of mine was driving me mad! My way of dealing with things was always to run when it got tough, so I decided I was going to leave him and move back home.
“I had looked for an apartment and was in the process of figuring out how to do it when this daycare provider of mine asked me to go to church with her. She had no idea of the turmoil I was in. She actually had argued with God all day about asking me! She later told me she was so intimidated by me, because I seemed so professional and put together. HA!
“Well, the weird thing was that I said yes! I went and it was a Spirit-filled church. A little different from my Mormon background where you didn't even dare cough in church. Worship was silently bowing your head there! Not clapping and lifting your arms. But I clearly saw that these people had something that I wanted. Joy! They didn't even need alcohol to sing and dance and get happy! They cared more about their experience with God than anyone’s opinion of them or how they looked. It was the beginning of a brand new life.
“But when I got home and told Nate he was furious and for about a year the enemy used Nate in particular to try and discourage my walk with God. He hated the changes in me. Even though I was more attentive to him and the kids, even though I was instantly delivered in prayer one night from the addiction of alcohol and 2 packs a day (if you even knew what a source of tension that was, you would see how huge of a miracle that was.) and even though I was actually learning how to love Nate like I never thought I would, he was still absolutely dead-set against going to church and even tried to keep me from going on many occasions. He even took the starter out of the car one Sunday morning!
“In the middle of all of this we had Kenny. I had complications early on in my pregnancy that caused me to have to take a leave from work. Nate felt very strongly that I should stay home with the kids at that point. After all, we would have 3 in daycare and that would be steep. But besides a few bumps in the road I still kept in touch with Cindy (the daycare owner that led me to Christ) and continued my bible study with her and her husband.
“When Nate did come to church he would sit with his arms folded and a scowl and would barely lift a hand when someone wanted to shake his hand and greet him. But I kept praying for him. I kept literally envisioning him walking through the doors of the sanctuary and falling to his knees at the altar, fully surrendering to God. And one day God broke through his tough exterior and something changed ever so slightly. But eventually he did end up at that altar, fully surrendered. And that was amazing! All of our kids have followed and all of them have been baptized in Jesus' precious name and filled with God's Spirit. (They are great kids, Holly. I was such a selfish, defiant and mean-spirited kid. I can't believe how wonderfully different they are from me at their age!)
“Anyway, now Nate is the first one to humbly fall on his face before God at the altar and the last one left praying at the end of service. I now consider every single day and every one I encounter as an opportunity to serve Christ and minister to others who may not know him. I fail constantly, but try to make every day count somehow. We've had our share of obstacles and struggles, but they've all brought us closer to each other and to God. I know I gave you a double testimony by including Nate, but he's my other half and they're kind of intertwined ;o)
“So as you can see; God has been the glue in our marriage and family and He's the only one who can take any credit for that success. ('cause Nate and I are a couple of the most stubborn people alive.)”
“It really brings tears to my eyes, because if it weren't for God I know our family wouldn't still be in once piece, under one roof. Thankfully He stepped in right on time! That's one thing about the Lord; He's always on time -but never early!
“So you know Nate and I were together way back. January 7th, 1995 to be precise. We were a pair. Life was about having fun. Partying and getting high. Nate proposed to me while we were both in a drunken stupor. We were destined to fail and end up divorced, but Nate had always said he would never in a million years let me divorce him. He made me promise several times that I wouldn't bail on our marriage and do that to our kids. I did, but only to appease him, really. I didn't know the first thing about commitment.
“Fast forwarding a bit; Nate and I moved out to the GR area about 9 years ago (1998). Ashley and Haleigh were just turning 6 and 2. Kenny wasn't even a thought yet. We had been together for 3 years, but had only been married at that point for 1. The honeymoon seemed to be over! I worked more than full time managing an employment agency which demanded most of my time and energy. I was so busy that when we moved I had Nate find a daycare for the girls. (after being home with my kids now for over 8 years I can't believe I trusted anyone other than myself to do that!) But he did a good job.
“He had actually hired one lady, but then as he was driving through the country by our new place, he saw a sign for another Daycare and was drawn to it. He knew he needed to check it out. So he did and he immediately sensed something different about the woman who ran it. (we now know it was the Holy Spirit that just pours out of this family). He hired her on the spot.
“Nate worked long hours, too and was out of town often so there wasn't much time for family. We weren't in church, yet. I was a believer, but not a follower. Had no idea about God and was still very confused mostly about all of the strange teachings from the Mormon church that I had attended for a few years in Jr./high school. Nate was claiming atheism. My dad had given him the nick-name ‘heathen-dog.’
“We were heading in two different directions. Working all the time and away from all of our old partying friends. (which I now see was God's handy-work) I barely had enough time for the girls, let alone Nate and he was in the same boat. At the time I was a pack and a half smoker and I drank nightly in order to just sleep at night. I tried to hide this from Nate, because he grew up with an alcoholic and was afraid I was heading down the same path. I probably was since I had resorted to trying to hide it from him. I was stressed out and missing my friends and realizing this man of mine was driving me mad! My way of dealing with things was always to run when it got tough, so I decided I was going to leave him and move back home.
“I had looked for an apartment and was in the process of figuring out how to do it when this daycare provider of mine asked me to go to church with her. She had no idea of the turmoil I was in. She actually had argued with God all day about asking me! She later told me she was so intimidated by me, because I seemed so professional and put together. HA!
“Well, the weird thing was that I said yes! I went and it was a Spirit-filled church. A little different from my Mormon background where you didn't even dare cough in church. Worship was silently bowing your head there! Not clapping and lifting your arms. But I clearly saw that these people had something that I wanted. Joy! They didn't even need alcohol to sing and dance and get happy! They cared more about their experience with God than anyone’s opinion of them or how they looked. It was the beginning of a brand new life.
“But when I got home and told Nate he was furious and for about a year the enemy used Nate in particular to try and discourage my walk with God. He hated the changes in me. Even though I was more attentive to him and the kids, even though I was instantly delivered in prayer one night from the addiction of alcohol and 2 packs a day (if you even knew what a source of tension that was, you would see how huge of a miracle that was.) and even though I was actually learning how to love Nate like I never thought I would, he was still absolutely dead-set against going to church and even tried to keep me from going on many occasions. He even took the starter out of the car one Sunday morning!
“In the middle of all of this we had Kenny. I had complications early on in my pregnancy that caused me to have to take a leave from work. Nate felt very strongly that I should stay home with the kids at that point. After all, we would have 3 in daycare and that would be steep. But besides a few bumps in the road I still kept in touch with Cindy (the daycare owner that led me to Christ) and continued my bible study with her and her husband.
“When Nate did come to church he would sit with his arms folded and a scowl and would barely lift a hand when someone wanted to shake his hand and greet him. But I kept praying for him. I kept literally envisioning him walking through the doors of the sanctuary and falling to his knees at the altar, fully surrendering to God. And one day God broke through his tough exterior and something changed ever so slightly. But eventually he did end up at that altar, fully surrendered. And that was amazing! All of our kids have followed and all of them have been baptized in Jesus' precious name and filled with God's Spirit. (They are great kids, Holly. I was such a selfish, defiant and mean-spirited kid. I can't believe how wonderfully different they are from me at their age!)
“Anyway, now Nate is the first one to humbly fall on his face before God at the altar and the last one left praying at the end of service. I now consider every single day and every one I encounter as an opportunity to serve Christ and minister to others who may not know him. I fail constantly, but try to make every day count somehow. We've had our share of obstacles and struggles, but they've all brought us closer to each other and to God. I know I gave you a double testimony by including Nate, but he's my other half and they're kind of intertwined ;o)
“So as you can see; God has been the glue in our marriage and family and He's the only one who can take any credit for that success. ('cause Nate and I are a couple of the most stubborn people alive.)”
I love people's Jesus stories. I'll love yours, too. Please tell me sometime :o)
2 comments:
Brought me to tears, God is amazing :)
Sigh...if only they were all this promising!
She looks GREAT!
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