When I first met Tim, I immediately liked him. I was working in a Christian Bookstore at the time and here comes this young man with a whole lot of charisma. I remember just where I was when I first set eyes on him. I was behind the register and he was talking to a woman with two children. I was listening to their conversation and I remember him being SO funny. I thought they were married at first until I saw them say good bye. (Turns out she was a friend from church.) I was quite pleased to discover there was no ring on his finger and he was my next customer in line. We chit chatted and he absolutely cracked me up. And that was that. He left the store and I wasn't sure if I'd ever see him again. I went home that night and called one of my good girlfriends, Katie who at the time was living in another state. I specifically told her that I had no idea whether anything would ever come out of it, but that I had met the a really neat guy".
It was almost 1 MONTH later that he came in again. One day I was going out the door on a break and Tim was walking in. He said, "Hi...is it Misty? Are you leaving?" I said, "It's Missy and I was just coming in!" He believed me! He told me that he was looking for a Denise William CD and I of course helped him find it. We ended up talking for my entire break that day. He finally got up the courage to ask me for my phone number and I gave it to him. He called me later on that day and we went on our first date that weekend. (October 21, 1993 to be exact.)
And that first date was amazing! We went out to a little Italian restaurant and talked and talked about the Lord. I happened to bring my Bible on that first date-we still kind of laugh about that because in mid conversation I pulled it out of my purse and went to the verse that we were talking about.
During our courtship, Tim would write me the most beautiful and deep letters a girl could ever want. And, he still does from time to time. But those first letters showed me his passion for the Lord and I knew that I could spend the rest of my life with him.
Since we are going on 13 years of marriage, I can attest that there have been bumps along the way and a few serious pot holes as we both brought junk into the marriage. But the payoff from working through the trials has certainly been worth it. Not easy, but so very rewarding as it produced a great depth and commitment to one another. I have watched my young man of a husband who has been a devoted follower of Jesus Christ since practically before I was born, transform into a man who truly finds pleasure in God.
And the pleasure that He finds in God blesses me and our children more than I could have ever dreamed. I have watched God soften my husband in ways that woo me into deeper relationship with my Maker. I of course am not hinting that Tim is perfect. What I am saying that I am greatly rejoicing because my husband is leading our family to treasure Christ above all. His transformation is transforming us! That's exciting. A few years ago he read the book, "Don't Waste Your Life", by John Piper. http://www.desiringgod.com/ He hasn't been the same since. I plan to finally read it this new year.
So, my husband has led the way to finding his greatest pleasure in God. I have had moments of Him being pleasure, but I can't honestly say that I fully experienced Him as my greatest pleasure 24/7. And, for certain I can admit that my life does not exemplify treasuring Christ above all else. For if it did, I would not be enslaved to my own sinful behaviors. It's not pretty is it? That is my confession and I don't say it lightly. My heart hungers to find pleasure in Him all the days of my life. I can think of a lot of other things that I find pleasure in and more often. For that, I repent. And I am so grateful that God is faithful when I am not and His love for me as His daughter is unfailing.
Maybe you'd like to take this journey with me-treasuring Christ above all and knowing God as your greatest pleasure...if that's the case, stay tuned. I'm certain that the Lord is about to amaze us. I'll share my journey with you and I would love for you to share your journey with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment