Confusion led to rebellion…
When I was growing up, God was a central figure in most discussions. But I saw theology as a battlefield and Scripture as a weapon. In my confusion, I rejected God and His Word but was rescued by an old high school friend. With few words but a completely changed life, Roy SHOWED me the difference Jesus made in his life.
I came to trust and know Jesus as my personal Savior when Roy said, “The Bible isn’t meant to take a verse here and a verse there. The Bible is a single story from Genesis to Revelation, and it’s all about God’s love for you.” That was definitely news to me, but the next thing he said rang true in my broken life. “The Bible is God’s love letter to you. If you believe it and trust Him to save your life, He’ll come back to make you His perfect bride.” All I’d ever wanted was a husband who thought me worthy of his love. Imagine my surprise when I read this verse:
Then the angel said to [John, the apostle], “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God” Revelation 19:9
I said “yes” to Jesus six weeks after our first date and “yes to the dress” one month later, when Roy asked me to become his bride.
Our lives changed rapidly. Roy and I were married six months later. Nine months and two weeks after the wedding, our first daughter was born. Soon after, our second daughter came along, and we began attending a small church. Suddenly, my desire for God’s Word exploded. So I began scouring the only theology books a young mother has time to read—children’s Bible stories and my Bible.
I devoured God’s Word during my days as a full-time mom, but when our family moved to seminary, my husband became Mr. Mom, and I went to work. Roy became the one saturated in God’s Word, and he was the one our daughters ran to when they scraped their knees. Though I knew we were in the very center of God’s will, these were hard days for me. When my husband graduated from seminary and received his first call to ministry, I promised the Lord I would forever cherish His Word and never again take for granted the blessings of motherhood and marriage.
Our daughters are now grown and telling their own stories of journeys with Jesus. No doubt, they had joys and sorrows in a pastor’s family, their mom’s speaking ministry slowed by chronic illness and their personal questions for the Creator. It is my prayer, however, that those children’s Bible stories we used to read together have matured into the biblical novels and devotional studies I now write. In a way, I still tell Bible stories to my girls. We just include a host of other folks who enjoy relating to the real people in God’s Word.
