“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”—Romans 5:5 (NLT)

Because yesterday was the 24th anniversary of my first husband’s death, I can’t help but be reminded of God’s grace, love and mercy for me then and how He continues to provide the same for me now.

As a Christian, I don’t have to wait until I die to experience heaven here on earth. How do I attempt to do that? When I finally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior it opened my heart an eyes to God’s glorious riches available to me. The most important is being filled with the Holy Spirit. 

This enables me to be filled with peace and joy when it doesn’t seem possible, strength I can’t explain and wisdom that I know I don’t have on my own accord. Because I am human, I still have a hard time comprehending how I got through such a difficult time in my life when my first husband unexpectedly died. 

When I was in my 20’s, had you asked me if I was a Christian, I would have said, “Yes,” because I believed in God and would sometimes say some prayers when I went to bed. I was raised in the church, went to Sunday school and was in youth group until I got to high school. After that, going to church only happened on a holiday. I would much rather sleep in on Sunday than go to a “boring” church service. Let’s face it, I know now that part of the reason I didn’t want to go to church was because I would be convicted of some of my lifestyle choices. Who needs that? I believed in God and was a pretty good person, so in my mind that was all that mattered.

However when tragedy struck me that fateful day in 1995, I quickly realized that I didn’t really know what it was like to have Jesus at the helm of my ship. The only explanation of how the pieces of my shattered life were stitched back together to create something of beauty is that I chose to believe that Jesus was the only source for my hope and happiness. 

When you begin to experience Jesus in your life, you some how find joy. I continue to share my story all these years later, because I don’t ever want to forget who saved me from being sucked into the pit of self pity. I have no idea why that tragedy happened, but what I do know is that God was and is still with me working all things for His good. 

Jesus not only transformed my heart, He brought me peace in the midst of tragedy, gave me hope when I felt hopeless and brought light into my darkness. Looking back, I see how God was giving me a little bit of heaven right here on earth. I still have an opportunity to share who my Living Hope is to those around me.

Jesus met my needs, gave me peace and created a new spirit within me. He gave me new goals…one of which was to raise my children in a strong Christian home. Do you know someone that was like me in my 20’s? He/she believes in God but doesn’t have a relationship with our Lord and Savior? Are you able to speak to them in love and not judgment? 

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your unending grace and mercy that you extend to me every second of every day. I praise You for sending Jesus to take on the sins of the world so that I could have direct access to You and the Holy Spirit. I ask that You give me the right words to say to a loved one to share Your Love. Soften their hearts to be open to Your Word and maybe even find a church family. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

June Memory Verse:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”—Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

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