I hope this blog finds every one having a good day. I know I am random with my posts but after this Sunday’s church service I couldn’t help but write.
Yesterday I attended my church solo. I usually go with my friend, Lydia but she hadn’t been feeling well but since I had been looking forward to church all weekend I just had to go….and now looking back am so thankful.
This church starts off with a live band who does the worship. Worship is kinda a big deal to me so I fell in love with the church as soon as I heard the band play. After about 3 songs the pastor announced that we were going to do something different and have people come up and give a testimony. It could be on when you first came to know Jesus or simply a story of mercy, love, sorrow, etc.
The first man (about 45 years old) stood up and stated that he was not standing there because he wanted to be, but because God wanted him to be there. He went on to say that he had pulled away from God for quite sometime…gone through it all with marital problems and not being a good father. He spoke about forgiveness and how God drew him back to him and ended with God will never forsaken us ….even though we go through spells where we feel so alone, lost and hurt by life.
Next up was the girl sitting infront of me. This gorgeous girl got up and stated that she just turned 30 and even being 30 she is not sure why her life has been as tough as it has. She stated she had lost her husband at 23 to a car accident after having two of his children. She and been remarried and just recently been through a horrible divorce now with three children and after another horrific event she was suppose to have her Dad come out to visit her when he had a heart attack in the airport (he was okay). She started tearing up and said, “Even throughout all this sorrow, God still provides.” She turned up to her girlfriend who was playing the piano and said, “Thank you….you have helped me to see where Jesus stands when I don’t know even know where I stand.”
A man then went up there and stated that last week God intervened. Last week he received a phone call that his parents had been involved in a very bad motorcycle accident. His father was driving (with his mother on the back) down a scenic route in Colorado. They were going through an area that didn’t get phone reception when he saw a school bus cross over the line. He had taken the corrective action and pulled over to the shoulder of the road but when doing so they hit a rock and both went over the handle bars of the bike. They both were wearing full protective gear but as he was laying there (with his wife being 50 feet further down the hill) he started to get short of breath and knew soon he would pass out. That day another man (on a motorcycle) was taking the scenic way home and saw the end of the accident. He quickly ran to the scene and since this was an area he couldn’t call out with his phone, he quickly fell to his knees and started to pray. Less than 30 seconds later an ambulance (that had just ended its shift and was headed back for the day) came by and were able to get both his parents to the ER in time. His parents had been realized from the hospital a few days later with no major injuries.
Finally a 13 year old girl then went up and stated that the past couple months she had been very angry and upset with life. This wasn’t normally like her but it had been bothering her because she hadn’t been the friend or daughter she had wanted to be. She went on to say that last week her best girlfriend had left her and didn’t want to be her friend anymore. She stated, “this might sound kinda weird but I think that God took my best friend from me in order to allow me to draw closer to Him. And I didn’t realize that God had done that until my friend had left me and I started depending on Him more.”
I sat there and thought about what the young girl had said and realized that I too was in that same situation. Some of you probably don’t know but before Josh deployed I was not exactly myself. I had no control over what was about to happen with him leaving so I became very angry and hurt by the deployment. Some nights I would skip out on certain events just because I was so upset and sad. I would say hurtful things to Josh when he decided to still attend the events and I can conclude that I did not like myself very much. Looking back on it always makes me very sad to think of the kind of person I was but it wasn’t until my best friend was pulled away from me that I realized these things. For the 2nd time (2nd deployment) it was just “Me and God” again. Although I never wish these deployments on ANYONE, (and as crazy as it may seem) I do need to stop and thank God for this bonding time I have with Jesus. It was Sunday that I came to the realization that without the deployment I still may be stuck in my “not so nice” ways. God just needed and desired me to be closer to Him and little did I know that is what I needed also. Life really is pretty okay when He requests your attention. :)
I wasn’t really able to tell anyone about this significant even so decided that blogging would be most therapeutic. …so if you made it to this point that you for reading it. :)
Love you all,
Gretchen
