We are each created as a unique individual. No one is exactly like us. Similar, but not exactly the same. In the same way, each of us has a unique journey with the Lord. How we come to Him, how we realize that we are sinners who need a Savior, and Jesus is ours, and how we develop a relationship with Him.
What is your story? How did you come to the Lord and then develop a relationship with Him? Since our journey doesn't end until we go to be with the Lord, in this series, I will be sharing a snapshot of different aspects of my journey with the Lord as well as some Scriptures which can help us develop a relationship with Him.
I was baptized, anointed, and dedicated to the Lord as a baby, so God has been with me always. My problem was that although the seed of the Holy Spirit was planted in me, I was not aware of it. It's like having a million dollars in the bank, but not knowing the account number or which bank it is in, so you don't know that you have an asset that you can tap into it when you need it. Being unaware, I went through much of my life as a prideful, self-sufficient, accomplished woman, not realizing that God was at my side, helping me and protecting me all the way. It made me remember a quote from my Mom anytime we saw a person in need, that I mentioned in a previous post, "There but for the Grace of God, go I." I hadn't thought about that concept in my life. I thought that my success and finding favor in my life with other people, was all my doing. I was like the person depicted in the poem below, unaware that through even the most troubling times, God was with me, carrying me.
My awareness journey began when my marriage of almost 20 years ended, with my husband leaving me with our three young children. I felt devastated and didn't know what to do. I had been a stay at home mom, and was now going to start a retail business in a mall. The contract dictated that my store had to be open during all the mall hours, so initially, I had to work all the hours myself. It was a very challenging time for all of us. Recently, I heard a quote from Pastor Lashunda Pitman which reminded me of this time. She said, "When you're down to nothing, God's up to something." That was exactly true in that season of my life. I was down to nothing and God was up to something.
Before my husband left, I had an opportunity to go to a fitness retreat in Lake Wales for a weekend. I took my Bible and a notepad and had opportunity to reflect on my life. I thought to myself, "Who am I? I know that I am a mom and I was a wife, but who is Fran?" So I wrote in my notepad, "I am a loving person." As I looked at that sentence, I thought, "If I am such a loving person, why is my marriage falling apart?" I opened my Bible to read what God had to say about love in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. As I went through each sentence, I realized that I exhibited none of those traits on a consistent basis. I looked at my paper and realizing that I was not really a loving person according to God's standard, crossed out the sentence I wrote. So, as I stared at the blank piece of paper, I came to the conclusion that I didn't know who I was. This prepared me to embark on my journey with the Lord.
As I was preparing to open my business, He began bringing people into my life to encourage me in the Lord. I have spoken about one of them in a previous post. (Dorothy with the Sparkling Blue Eyes, Sept. 27, 2022 testimony post). My contractor was a Christian who also had a Bible study that I ended up attending. He and his wife would pray for me and encourage me always.
I tried to read the Bible, but at first, couldn't make any sense of it. Then someone gave me a 12 step program book that linked each step to Scripture. As I read about David in the Psalms, often being between a rock and a hard place, I could relate. I was inspired to read that the Lord saved him in and from every circumstance. I thought if God could do it for David, maybe He would do it for me too.
The first miracle that I recognized was this: I had been in business for a little while and was desperate to find someone to work for me. I had tried ads in the paper, at different locations where people often sought employment, and signs on my booth. All to no avail. Then, one night, I thought about a woman who had lived next door to me when I first moved to Florida. Through some adversity of her own, she had given her life to the Lord and moved away, so I hadn't seen her for at least two years. I knew that sometimes she did odd jobs, and wondered if she would want to work for me. As I was looking through the phone book (we had those then), to see if I could find her number, the phone rang and it was her! She said that because of extraordinary circumstances in her life, she needed an extra job for two months and wondered if I needed help! Of course I said, "YES!" She came to work and the word she had for me was this: "There's no power greater than God's, and if your heart is pure (meaning having no evil intent), God will help you out." Wow! I hung on to that word over and over, to get me through each day.
To be continued in Tuesday, April 25th post. God bless.
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