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, who discovered and shared Jesus with me—the life-transforming Savior.
Life changed rapidly indeed. A month later, that friend asked me to be his wife. Roy and I were married six months later. Nine months and two weeks later, 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.
