My Story

I grew up in a Christian home. I still remember that “church” was my favorite and probably only place to be. My parents were very involved and “I was glad when they said unto me – let us go to the house of the Lord” was modeled in my home through the years. Because my parents loved church and the body of Christ – I loved it too…that’s all I knew. I was taught about God in my home as well. We had a time of devotion every morning where my Dad would read a simple story about God.

When I was eight years old, I remember my first personal thoughts about God…who made Him, where did He come from, how is it that He always WAS? I was swinging on a park swing – the world seemed so big and God seemed BIGGER! The questions continued along with teaching I received from a godly older Sunday School teacher. She loved her eight-year-old girl’s class and poured her heart out to us and taught us everything she knew about God every Sunday. It was during that year, I decided that I wanted Jesus to become my personal Savior. I shared that desire with my parents – they helped me to understand what it was to have a relationship with God. I prayed and asked God to forgive me of my sins and come into my heart. The verse God used in my life at that time was Revelation 3:20 “Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and sup with him and he with me.” I heard God knocking on the door of my heart and I opened the door and let him come in. I still remember the invitation songs our church sang during that time in my life….Just As I Am and The Savior is Waiting to Enter Your Heart. I was baptized at that same time.

During those elementary years, God gave me a heart for children/friends from broken homes. I couldn’t explain it and my parents questioned it. Often I would trade my lunch for theirs…my shoes for theirs. I loved them and wanted to encourage and care for them. As I look back now and the many experiences between here and there, I can see that even then God was preparing me and beginning a work in my life in this area. God later allowed me to walk through this area of “brokenness” so that I could “comfort where I have been comforted.”

As far as remembering what my life was like without Jesus, I really cannot. It seems I always loved God and knew Him. But at that point in my life, God pointed my life in a new direction – one that would follow hard after Him. I gave my heart to Jesus and never took it back. He has been everything to me and I have been satisfied with Him. Through my growing up years, I continued to follow in the steps of my parents – finding joy in serving the body of Christ. Church was my home away from home….I loved being apart of anything that taught me more about God. Because of that hunger within me, the Lord opened doors for a lot of growth.

When I was in middle school, I was blessed to have leaders in our church that had a desire to spend time with us. They opened their home to a weekly Bible study and I was there each week taking in all that I could. In High School, our youth leader had the same desire – to teach us the Word of God. Weekly, I looked forward to our Bible studies in his home. I was exposed to many old-fashioned “revivals” in those years. Leighton Ford (an evangelist) came often to our city to lead us in big tent revivals at the Civic Center and in the mall parking lots. It was exciting to see God work in this way. Because of my hunger for God and His ability to satisfy, I never went through a time of turning away from Him. That is good and I praise Him for the grace He poured out on my life.

When I was in high school, I felt called to be the wife of someone in ministry.  I was 17 at the time. I still remember going forward to make this decision. At first, I felt that I was going forward to be saved, but when I sought counsel, my salvation experience was confirmed and I realized that I was being called to something else. I surrendered with joy to being this kind of wife even though I was years away from marriage. All I ever wanted to be as a young lady was a wife and mother, so this was an exciting call on my life since I loved God and ministry too!

I went onto college at Baylor University studying Fashion Merchandising and praying that God would allow me to meet my husband. I did leave with a degree, but no husband. I had to trust God to use me as I entered a season I did not really desire – working in the “world”. This was a hard time in my life and took lots of listening and trusting in God.
Some of the greatest years of growth and preparation for the seasons ahead were during my single days – trusting and waiting. I was content, but knew this wasn’t the end of the story. It was during these years that I discovered my gift for teaching. I began with a high school girl’s class then moved to teaching women. It was exciting to see God teach me as I taught them. The Lord continued to give me opportunity to soak in and learn from His word. He allowed me to sit under some of the greatest preachers in this land.

Right at the happiest time of my life – enjoying my career and growing in my church, God chose to move me to a “new land”. Through my job, I was transferred to another city where I didn’t know any one. This was one of the most devastating points of my life. I cried and cried over God’s decision to uproot my life without warning or my permission! Looking back – this move ended up being one of the SWEETEST times in my life! My relationship with the Lord soared and He began to bless me over and over again because I trusted Him in this move.

God was putting puzzle pieces together in my life….the greatest piece was meeting my husband and starting another “book” to my life. It was through obedience to the voice of God and saying to Him “not my will, but Thine be done” that I met my husband. To make a LONG testimony short – my fairytale had different chapters than anticipated: Treatment for anorexia, and the unexpected death of my husband. Through my treatment and struggle with anorexia, God began a mighty work in my heart. This season was preparation for the next. As God destroyed this “idol” in my life he began to show me that I was NOT allowing Jesus to meet my deepest needs and that only Jesus could satisfy. I really understood for the first time, what took place when this eight-year old little girl asked Jesus into her heart….He didn’t just come into my life…..He actually EXCHANGED my life for His ~ WOW! This truth literally changed my life and continues to change my life! God began to pry my hands off of my life – I opened them up and began to let Him put into and take out of my life what He needed to – so that He could be glorified.

My journey with the Lord has a different script than I would have written, however, I have held tightly to His hand the entire way. I have NO REGRETS of walking with the Lord. He has been so faithful to me and I love Him with all of my heart. I look forward to the days ahead because I know that He uses everything ….for my good, and His glory!