In August of 1998, I left for college. I was so excited and could not wait for the journey ahead of me. Liberty University would become my home and I knew God would rock my world. Upon entering into my freshman year, I had a few things I was not going to do. The first one was to not have a serious relationship the first year. I wanted to make sure that I had amazing friendships with the girls God would put in my life and did not want to enter into anything else. The second thing was to work a lot harder than I did in High School. My freshman year was pretty easy, so there was a lot of nap taking and pizza parties with the roomies. The third thing was I, IN NO WAY, would date or marry a guy going into the ministry. I know, God has a sense of humor huh?? My reasons for this were that pastors were away from their families a lot, they and their family live in a glass bowl for everyone to view into at any moment, and they did not make a lot of money. The last one was pretty bad, I know, but I was determined to live a life where money was not a worry and we could do all the things we wanted. So, there you go, I had my standards. Well, my junior year came and who does God put into my life but a YOUTH PASTOR. In my eyes they were the guys that worked the hardest and got paid the least (I will not say whether or not I still agree with that statement :). I am sure God chuckled when he led Josh to me and we married. God changed my heart drastically within the first month we dated. I kept saying," I cannot be a pastor's wife, I do not have it in me." God kept saying, "You are right but I will stretch you and mold you into the kind of pastor's wife I want you to be. You will not look like the others you have seen but I have something much different for you." After hearing God say those things to me so clearly, I entered into my marriage easily and peacefully ( THANK GOD!!!).
I read a verse, Proverbs 13:11, " Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it." This verse means a lot to me when it comes to the life in ministry. In college, I wanted to feel secure with plenty of money for my future, but that was not God's plan at all. I began to realize that the second part of this verse is so true. Josh and I gather little by little in this calling God has for us. I can tell you countless times that God has blessed our socks off more than we could have ever imagined. I never realized that yes, a ministry "paycheck" may not be what most people would want but the blessings that come from the people who God puts in our lives are immeasurable. Just this week I have been blown away by the heart of people that give. I have been blown away by the goodness of God that comes from His people. I have been humbled to the point of feeling so unworthy of the grace that God showers down on us. I have been reminded of those thoughts I had in college and how I am beyond thankful for this life as we go little by little. God has reached down and held me through so much and I will never be the same!!! My heart overflows with thankfulness and awe!!!
