One of the things about me that's knid fo strange is that I literally analyze everything, every situation. In my mind I NEED to understand all situations. It can sometime drive me nuts but at the same time is kind of fun. I love taking one situation and seeing how it has turned out years down the road. Which brings me to this post.
When I was a kid, I was introduced to someone who is now a great friend of mine, his name is BillyHis wife is an amazingly beautiful person as well. His parents are strong followers of the Lord. They attend the same church I do, and they are the people that introduced my family to this church. When I was 15, I was a normal rebellious 15 year old. I did drugs, started smoking, was obssessed with boys, snuck out of the house and one night I got RIDICULOUSLY drunk. Oh my goodness, I couldn't even tell ou what happened that night. All I know is I woke up the next day and was grounded, indefinately, and my parents no longer trusted me at all. Well, come the following Friday night, my mom sat me down and gave me a choice. I can sit in the house that Friday night, or I can go to youth group at the church. Now at the time, my friend was going to youth group as well, and my best friend at the time was allowed to go with me, so of course I opted to go. What 15 yr old wants to sit at home on a Friday night, and yeah, it may be church but at least Im out of the house. So I went. I don't remember what I did those Friday nights, but I remember meeting a guy there, his name is Phil. This guy is actually my husband now ;) He was 19, and I thought he was sooo cute. He was also my friends best friend. Because he attends this church I wanted to go to church on sunday. So for the entire time I was grounded I went to church and church functions only. My mom had planted a seed. My mom planted a seed that would grow in me for the rest of my life. My mother introduced me to Church.
Of course, after I became un-grounded, I stopped going to church. After all, Im too cool for church. Well, about a year later, I got a job at Pizza Hut. This job was lifechanging for me on soooo many levels. This was another tool God used in his plan for my life. At Pizza Hut I met some people. These people watered the seed that was planted in my life the year earlier. My friend, that I met at Pizza Hut was a devout Christian. Her Uncle was PAstor at a church. She invited me to go, and I went. I began going to church every weekend. Now there are a few other people that worked there, one of them attended that church, anther (Her name is Sam) started bible studies at her home. Man, was I surrounded by God and Godly people. Of course after a while, I stopped going to church again. I still worked at Pizza Hut, and Billyworks there now. Remember, Billy and PHil are best friends. So because of Billy working at Pizza Hut, I am reminded of Church and the church I attended when I was 15. So one Sunday morning I woke up and got ready and went to church. It was Palm Sunday, I walked in the building and so many familiar faces were there. I was greeted with hugs, and his and how are you's. I felt comfortable, I felt welcomed. The sunlight was shining on that seed. Phil still attends that church, he is still friends with Billy, and God set the presedense for a whole new group of friendships that would begin to develop. During this time when I wasn't attending church I lost two of my best friends, my grandmother, my great grandmother and was in a deep depression. I can say I hit rock bottom. Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom before He is gonna lift you back up again. Attending this Church couldn't have happened at a better time in my life. Finding God couldn't have happened at a better time in my life. Through out the next couple of years, I was going to church on again and off again. I noticed whenever I hit a stretch of nto going to church, my spiritual battery began to drop, I started losing site of God and things started to get harder. Phil and I began dating, later to be married, even later to have a baby. God has brought an AMAZING GROUP of friends into our lives. And my spiritual battery is constantly charged, and that seed has grown immensly. I believe that things dont happen by conincidence. I believe that everything that happens in your life God strategically places there. He strategically placed Billy in my life, because He knew I would marry his best friend and attend that church. He strategically sent the manager (who is also a great family friend and Billy's aunt) to my house with an application for Pizza Hut when I wasn't even looking for a job. He strategically put this church on my mothers heart because he knew that I would attend there in the future. God works by strategy. God is working everyday to strategically plant all of those seeds in your life. Im sure if you think back to where you were and where your at now, you'd see the thread that God is sewing in your life as well.
When I was a kid, I was introduced to someone who is now a great friend of mine, his name is BillyHis wife is an amazingly beautiful person as well. His parents are strong followers of the Lord. They attend the same church I do, and they are the people that introduced my family to this church. When I was 15, I was a normal rebellious 15 year old. I did drugs, started smoking, was obssessed with boys, snuck out of the house and one night I got RIDICULOUSLY drunk. Oh my goodness, I couldn't even tell ou what happened that night. All I know is I woke up the next day and was grounded, indefinately, and my parents no longer trusted me at all. Well, come the following Friday night, my mom sat me down and gave me a choice. I can sit in the house that Friday night, or I can go to youth group at the church. Now at the time, my friend was going to youth group as well, and my best friend at the time was allowed to go with me, so of course I opted to go. What 15 yr old wants to sit at home on a Friday night, and yeah, it may be church but at least Im out of the house. So I went. I don't remember what I did those Friday nights, but I remember meeting a guy there, his name is Phil. This guy is actually my husband now ;) He was 19, and I thought he was sooo cute. He was also my friends best friend. Because he attends this church I wanted to go to church on sunday. So for the entire time I was grounded I went to church and church functions only. My mom had planted a seed. My mom planted a seed that would grow in me for the rest of my life. My mother introduced me to Church.
Of course, after I became un-grounded, I stopped going to church. After all, Im too cool for church. Well, about a year later, I got a job at Pizza Hut. This job was lifechanging for me on soooo many levels. This was another tool God used in his plan for my life. At Pizza Hut I met some people. These people watered the seed that was planted in my life the year earlier. My friend, that I met at Pizza Hut was a devout Christian. Her Uncle was PAstor at a church. She invited me to go, and I went. I began going to church every weekend. Now there are a few other people that worked there, one of them attended that church, anther (Her name is Sam) started bible studies at her home. Man, was I surrounded by God and Godly people. Of course after a while, I stopped going to church again. I still worked at Pizza Hut, and Billyworks there now. Remember, Billy and PHil are best friends. So because of Billy working at Pizza Hut, I am reminded of Church and the church I attended when I was 15. So one Sunday morning I woke up and got ready and went to church. It was Palm Sunday, I walked in the building and so many familiar faces were there. I was greeted with hugs, and his and how are you's. I felt comfortable, I felt welcomed. The sunlight was shining on that seed. Phil still attends that church, he is still friends with Billy, and God set the presedense for a whole new group of friendships that would begin to develop. During this time when I wasn't attending church I lost two of my best friends, my grandmother, my great grandmother and was in a deep depression. I can say I hit rock bottom. Sometimes God lets you hit rock bottom before He is gonna lift you back up again. Attending this Church couldn't have happened at a better time in my life. Finding God couldn't have happened at a better time in my life. Through out the next couple of years, I was going to church on again and off again. I noticed whenever I hit a stretch of nto going to church, my spiritual battery began to drop, I started losing site of God and things started to get harder. Phil and I began dating, later to be married, even later to have a baby. God has brought an AMAZING GROUP of friends into our lives. And my spiritual battery is constantly charged, and that seed has grown immensly. I believe that things dont happen by conincidence. I believe that everything that happens in your life God strategically places there. He strategically placed Billy in my life, because He knew I would marry his best friend and attend that church. He strategically sent the manager (who is also a great family friend and Billy's aunt) to my house with an application for Pizza Hut when I wasn't even looking for a job. He strategically put this church on my mothers heart because he knew that I would attend there in the future. God works by strategy. God is working everyday to strategically plant all of those seeds in your life. Im sure if you think back to where you were and where your at now, you'd see the thread that God is sewing in your life as well.
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You are such a blessing!
ReplyDeleteman Heather that was just an amazing reminder to me that things arent always what u think they are, and how Gods plan for our lives is rarely the same as our own plan
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure why but when I read this line you wrote, "The sunlight was shining on that seed", I immediatly burst into tears... (I just burst into tears AGAIN as I typed it) Thanks for writing =) People are touched by MANY different and VERY different things... these are great stories that need to be told. I love you! =)
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