I haven't been in touch for a while because of the pressures of work. I am still in the gruelling task of redrafting my thesis, which has been more time consuming than I could have every had imagined. It's a constant uphill struggle but I am going to get there!
The last time I made an entry, Chris and I were going through a difficult time at church and we were uncertain about our future there. But thanks be to God the situation is a lot better than it was. Relationships have not completely been restored to the way they were, but there has been a dramatic improvement. Personally, my spiritual life has been going through a time where I have to be making leaps of faith in all that I do. Chris lent me a devotion book based on sermons and writings by Martin Luther called 'FAITH ALONE'. It's a simple book. Each day has a scripture verse and a paragraph based on Martin Luther's teaching. But it has transformed the way that I think and especially the way that I perceive God's word and God Himself. I see the Bible so much more as the Word of God. And since God, who in His nature is true and cannot deny Himself, then His word must be true. For instance, Chris is currently looking for a job and it has been hard going with interviews and not getting offered the post. But I know Chris has to be given a job, because he needs one. In the book of Philippians it is said that God will provide all your need according to His riches in glory. Therefore Chris has to get a job!
There are other times when you have to make those steps of faith because you know that is something that God says you should do - so you do it! Chris and I want to get married next year. Neither of us have a job, but we know that this is what God wants of us. We were planning the wedding for months: checking out details for reception venues, florists, wedding favours, cake prices - the whole lot. And we decided that we wanted the wedding in April. So we declared the date in faith April 6 2008. Chris' mom suggested that we postpone it because neither of us had a job, but we weren't happy with that. It didn't seem to be a declaration of faith but accepting defeat. So we continued making our plans with the belief that the righteous shall live by their faith and this is the way that we wanted to live.
Then on September 5, Chris asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes! And we prayed that God would honour our faith....and He did! And this is how...
Today we decided to bite the bullet and tell Chris' parents that we were getting married. I was physically ill thinking about their reaction. They are not usually the most encouraging - like I said it was suggested by his mom that we postpone the wedding until we were financially secure. So with bated breath, we waited for their reaction. Chris' dad just started laughing, and asked are you serious? We nodded yes. And then he just came out with words we never would have expected - CONGRATULATIONS! We gave a shocked response of thank you. Then there were the questions: where, when, where are you going to live, etc. After I gave my well researched answers, he said 'Let's backtrack a second, whose paying for this? How is this being funded?' I felt my stomach turning again and I thought 'Here's the bombshell'. Chris responded honestly ' I don't know. We've just been gathering information'. Then a miracle happened, Chris' dad offered to pay for the entire wedding! I just kept on thinking and praising in my heart, 'God you're good. God you're so good!' My God is a God who honours His word. He cannot lie. He cannot deny Himself. And I wanted a testimony out of this. I wanted our wedding preparations, the ceremony, our lives to be a testimony of God's goodness and that He does supply all that we need according to His riches in glory.
Therefore, the righteous shall live by their faith (Habakkuk 2:4) - it's an exciting path to choose.
1 comment:
Congratulations, Jules!
If your older brother was around, he would tell you that you will make a beautiful bride, and that you look so much like your mom when she was that age. He would probably tell you that he is so proud that you are completing your PhD, and that he wishes only the best in life for you.
If your older brother was around and could jog the memory under his grey hair, he would marvel at how quickly time flies. He would muse at the memories of watching "The Little Mermaid" (on VHS) with his younger sister, and reminisce on the Friday evenings that she would keep his company while he watched "Tour of Duty" episodes.
He would also pray that God's will be done in your life ... lives, and that you and Chris honor God's will and word before anything else.
God bless and take care.
Post a Comment