Obey & Share

Last night at my small group, we talked about how God calls us to LOVE HIM more than our parents - more than our children - more than our families …

This can feel like a huge call to action.

How could we possibly love a God we cannot see more than these earthly beings that can be squeezed?

I wanted to share last night,

but I didn’t feel there was an appropriate time. This morning, as I was reading in Matthew 26 .. Again, God has given me the urge to share.

So, while I have this headache and tingling in my stomach, I better be obedient!!

In Matthew 26, starting in verse 6, Jesus was in Bethany. “A woman” came with an expensive jar of perfume and poured it over Jesus‘s head.

The disciples said… “What a waste!”

Jesus knew what they were saying and He asked, “why are you criticizing this woman? You will always have the poor to give to. But you will not always have me.”

  As I’m reading this, I was reminded of the conversation about loving God more than anything.

I thought, WOW!! THIS STORY is an excellent example of that!! What love and sacrifice she had for HIM! She gave Him ALL she had. Everything. Her entire inheritance was given to her savior. She knew Him and trusted Him.

We are at even more of an advantage. We know the end of the story. We know “it is finished”. We have the text.

We know that we have HIS Holy Spirit within us!!

We will not always have our parents.

We may not always have our children.

I pray often (truly, I BEG) the Lord, not to take my children from me… but HE reminds me .. that NO MATTER WHAT - HE IS GOOD.

Even if the worst of the worst happens…

Even if my greatest fears come true…

Our mighty God remains the same.

“It is well with my soul!”

I lost my mom when I was 19 years old.

I lost my dad when I was 32 years old.

When you’re 19, you think 32 sounds old.

But being “orphaned” at 32 years old and not having the guidance of either parent to direct you while you parent or try to navigate the rocky roads of life with is excruciating at times. When you no longer have a parent who loves you unconditionally…  It can be lonely. Life can be intimidating.

32 didn’t feel so old after all.

I have continually had to choose God. I had no other option. I’d tried every other method of coping and nothing compared to the freedom that I found in God.

Unfortunately, life is funny like that. Sometimes you don’t know that God is all you need - until HE is all you have. At least for me… I have to learn everything the hard way. So I know that Jesus is King because I’ve danced with the devil and nearly died!

My dad was my very best friend. I always thought that I would be crippled by the pain of his passing. I thought I’d be unable to function if I lost him.

  But when he died in 2021… The Holy Spirit guided me not to question WHY this happened… But instead I found myself asking WHAT my Lord do you want me to do with this?

I’ve had to suffer a lot of loss in my life.

I don’t have extended family outside of the family that I have created with my husband.

I’ve had to learn the hard way to be FULLY RELIANT on God. He is the only thing that keeps my head above water at times.

Our earthly family will come and go… But our Heavenly Father will be with us for an eternity.

No matter what… God is good.

We just have to TRUST HIM.