Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Hear My Heart

This is a love letter to any sister who may be thinking about marrying someone who doesn't share her faith.

My dear sister in Christ,

Over the last ten days, I've celebrated our Lord's victory over death, and I've celebrated my nineteenth wedding anniversary. On Easter Sunday, I sat with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I lifted my voice with theirs in praise and worship. It was truly a joyful experience. Then this last weekend, my husband and I spent a long weekend enjoying each other. It too was truly a joyful experience.

But a part of me was very, very sad. Sadness in the midst of such joy? Oh, yes.

Part of the sadness on Easter was because, even in the midst of the crowd, I sat alone. My husband wasn't with me. It was the fourteenth Easter that I celebrated alone. But that's not what made me the saddest.

What makes me the saddest, what makes me want to weep--and indeed tears fill my eyes as I write this--is that Russ cannot share the joy of knowing Jesus. He doesn't know the resurrected Savior. And it breaks my heart. There's little that's more painful than knowing that the love of your life doesn't have the assurance of salvation.

So, here's the purpose of this letter. Please listen to me. Please hear my heart.

Don't open yourself up to this sadness, this pain. The Bible is clear that we're not to be unequally yoked. Don't think you can save him. You can't.

Pray for him. Persistently and consistently pray. But don't marry him.

Be a Christ-like example to him. But don't risk the heartbreak of sitting alone each Easter.

Please, my sister. Hear my heart.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Happy Easter!

He is risen . . . He is risen indeed!

Last night, many of the members of my church solemnly reflected upon our Lord Jesus' sacrificial death. A video was played that showed clips from The Passion of the Christ, and I was reminded yet again that Jesus didn't just die on that cross, but He also experienced torture and suffering beyond anything most of us will ever experience.

It's Saturday, and I look forward to tomorrow's celebrations.

I wonder sometimes what Saturday was like for His followers. They'd either witnessed firsthand--or had heard from others--the brutal treatment of their Lord, their Teacher. They'd
watched Him die--or at the very least, experienced the darkened sky and felt the earthquake.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

He was supposed to be their conquering King. He was supposed to lead them to victory.

Now He was lifeless in a tomb. Oh, how bleak Saturday must have been. They didn't know what we do.

Sunday was coming!

As you celebrate the marvelous reality of Jesus' resurrection tomorrow, I pray that you will spend a moment or two in silent gratitude for what Jesus did for us. Reflect on His amazing love for us.

For . . .

He is risen . . . He is risen indeed!

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

A Picture of Faith

There are times when our faith can be shaken.

An illness threatens our life.

A loved one is lost.

A catastrophe hits.

It's sometimes hard to remember that God is infinitely faithful even when it doesn't seem to be so. Sometimes, what helps me to remember is to look back at how He's taken me through difficult times. Another thing that helps me is to recall how others have been able to make it through the difficult times with their faith intact.

A picture of faith that helps to sustain my faith is one of my paternal grandmother. She was a woman who walked her faith every day of her life, even through the difficult times. She loved her Lord, and she looked forward to the day when she could spend eternity with Him.

My maternal grandfather was the same. After he passed away, we found notes in his office of how he'd prayed for people every day of his life. That life wasn't perfect. He faced the challenge of having a child who chose a very different path; that choice caused my grandfather considerable pain. But, in spite of the hard times, my grandpa's faith never wavered.

Do you have a picture of faith? Something you can look to when your own faith is challenged or weakened?

If you don't, find one. Read about someone from the past or the present who has demonstrated faith under fire. Learn from her. Be inspired.

Take a picture and keep it close.