Harper isn’t feeling good today Slight fever. So she’s already back asleep. I usually never get a quiet morning to sip coffee, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to blog about something that’s been heavy on my mind. I’ve been thinking a lot about the girls who were kidnapped and then escaped, after 10 years in captivity. 10 years! That is 3,650+ days. Without going outside, seeing their family.. being locked up and raped. I just think about the little girls, only 14 at the time. Missing their first day of high school. Their whole teenage years. Education. Sleepovers. Boyfriends. Birthday celebrations. Learning how to drive. Summer breaks. Prom. Friends. Graduation. College. Every rite of passage and fun experience, stolen away. While they were chained up as sex slaves. Then to miss your mother’s funeral. For her to die thinking you were murdered. To be the next neighborhood over, and nothing you could do. To have your first child, fathered by your kidnapper and rapist. Instead of being brought into the world, happy with a loving husband. That special time. Maternity pictures. Their first outfits. Or the other woman, being punched in stomach every time she got pregnant, causing multiple miscarriages. And then all the questions.. what did they eat? What did they wear and where did they sleep? What did they do all day? How did it go on for 10 years without anyone finding out? Did they not call out for help when people came to the house? So many questions. Good thing about them is, they made it out alive. And they’re still young enough to have a decent life, hopefully. They’ll never be the same, but at least they’re back with their families. Then I think of Holly Bobo and all of the other young, innocent girls who get stolen off the streets. My heart breaks for them. To think if they’re still out there..or worse. It’s not fair. That an awful human being can completely ruin someone else’s life, hold them prisoner, or even murder them heinously. I could be sick all day thinking of it. How often that stuff happens here in America, and more all over the world.
Then, yet again, I think of sweet Wyncie and her mom Megan. The cutest little 3 year old, blessed with a new baby brother. A happy family. Robbed of life in 3 seconds by an irresponsible, unlicensed driver. A person meaning no harm to the family, but shattered their life in an instant. Megan having to go on, despite all odds with her personal injuries, without that precious baby girl, and also losing her own mother at the same time. Talk about no motivation.
What a depressing post… These things are always on my mind. Because I now have a daughter. And even though I don’t want to and try not to.. as a parent, we constantly worry about our children. I think those things are the worst things that could happen to someone. Obviously being killed. Or kidnapped. A child gone from your life. The most precious thing. I can’t leave out incurable sicknesses and disorders.. it’s hard to lose a child in anyway, or see them suffer or struggle through life. So this would also be extremely difficult. Now I’m a positive person, so I don’t dwell on these things or bring negative manifestations in my life. I will teach Harper not to talk to strangers, and the best way to handle that situation. Just like my parents and grandparents taught me, when I didn’t want to hear it. She will never, ever be unsupervised. And I will practice safe driving, seat belts, have a safe car, etc. But anyway… I think… these are definitely the absolute worst things that could happen. I can’t think of anything worse. But guess what… there is.
What could be worse? It probably happens just as often as kidnappings. And it’s not knowing Jesus Christ. Missing out on that simple knowledge is the worst thing that can happen to a person. For one, simply because Jesus=everlasting life. We obviously want our loved ones with us in Heaven. Innocent children are saved regardless. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” But for us sinners, there are many scriptures regarding salvation. Romans 10 says: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. And the popular John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. There are countless scriptures regarding sinners, and what happens to those who don’t repent. Who don’t seek Jesus. Who never accept the Truth. The unfulfilling life and how worldly riches do not equal Godly wealth. And there are plenty of scriptures that tell us to share the gospel. I love Second Thessalonians 13-17. The fact is… not knowing Jesus= miss out on everlasting life in Heaven. It’s sad to think of lost souls missing out on the greatest gift. It’s our purpose to love our neighbors and spread the Word to everyone.
Another benefit of knowing Jesus, is living a fulfilling life. Life with a purpose, and a life of hope. If you’re a Christian, chances are you have experienced a transformation, to where you gave your life to Christ, and can attest to the feeling. Sometimes we temporarily stray away from the word, and everyone sins, but once you become a Christian and begin a relationship with Jesus, you begin to uncover a deeper purpose for your life. I recently took part in two small group studies. One was Rick Warren’s devo..I highly recommend it. The study goes along with the book The Purpose Drive Life, but it’s easier to follow along since it’s broken down into six videos. I could go into this and type all day, but the main points he covers are “1. You matter to God. 2. You were planned for God’s pleasure. 3. You were formed for God’s family. 4. You were created to become like Christ. 5. You were shaped to serve God. and 6. You were made for a mission.” Think of a Godly person you know.. I think of someone who shines, displays happiness, feels blessed, enjoys the simple things in life, and treats others with love and respect. On the contrary, I know people that don’t have God in their life. They are negative, spiteful, depressed, on drugs or alcohol, feel hopeless. I’m not saying all Christians are amazingly happy or non-Christians are all depressed druggies, but either way there’s an apparent difference in each.
Truth is, we are loved by a divine power. Our God is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful. We learn in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” that no matter what, we will never be separated from God’s love. And in first Peter chapter 1: “3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” That’s a powerful message. I know I just keep throwing scriptures out, but people need different scriptures at different times. It’s important to always go back to the word. To get our knowledge from there, our divine instruction manual for life. Nothing is more powerful. Not the words I say. God gives hope. Hope for an everlasting life. Hope for a better tomorrow. Everyone experiences hardships. Some more than others. Even the biggest problems are minute in the grand scheme. The Bible says our life here on Earth is just a shadow. Just a tiny part, a fraction..compared to Eternal life in God’s Kingdom. I like to think, for especially those suffering an awful demise on Earth.. Revelations 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Verse 8 gives another outcome. I fully believe our suffering on earth will be repaid in great ways we cannot fathom. It’s important to know God and to teach our children of Him so that we can one day leave this materialistic world of sin behind, and be together, rejoicing in the Kingdom.
Being a child of God gives us unending love, undying hope, fortified faith, and unwavering willpower. We get to experience a life of purpose, with positive, uplifting relationships with other Christians, our brothers and sisters. We get opportunities to serve those less fortunate, and spread the light with everyone around us. We know there’s a God who answers all of our prayers, in His time. And we receive the gift of everlasting life. Little Wyncie at 3 years old, knew Jesus. She now walks with Jesus, and we can rejoice in that. We get strength from that. It’s a lot better knowing our day-to-day work flow isn’t all there is to life, and then we die. There’s more.
So those my thoughts.. the worst thing is not knowing Jesus, not being saved. But then, I had the pleasure of hearing Long Hollow’s Jordan preach on Mother’s Day. He had a completely different spin on it. You can watch here: http://www.longhollow.com/messages But his message was “The Greatest Gift A Mother Could Give.” When I thought about the worst thing that could happen to someone, I wasn’t really thinking about the best. So.. what is the best thing that could happen to my daughter? Her parents win the lottery and build her a big house? She get a new car when she turns 16? She get a full athletic or academic scholarship to whichever college she wants to go to? She’s the prettiest, most popular girl in school? She raises a nice family? Those are great..but no, it’s none of those. None of those things matter, without Jesus. The worst thing and the best are one and the same. Being a child of God. Knowing the word and the Savior. And that’s the greatest gift a mother can teach her children. Children learn from watching their parents, whether you know they’re watching or not. They see you pray and read the Bible, help a needy person, work a charity function, foster a homeless animal, speak blessings of others. Or they see you fight with your spouse, drink a 12-pack at once, stay in bed all day, or talk ugly to someone on the phone. Following Jesus means wanting to be like Jesus. Wanting to have Christian values, and instilling them in your children. I want that in every way, shape and form. I could go into another tangent on how I don’t believe everything happens for a reason, but that there’s good that comes from everything that happens. God gives us free will, and accidents do happen, and people die prematurely. There’s evil in the world. But it’s our job to turn it into something good, that leads others to Christ. And to learn from others’ lives..to not take it for granted. To treat people with respect. To pray for those in need, our friends and more so, our enemies. I’m positive the only thing that keeps people like Megan Bouge going is knowing one day she will meet her daughter and mother again at the Gates and until then, God will give her strength. A local woman was recently paralyzed from the waist down in a skiing accident. That’s so depressing! But God gives her determination. She progresses everyday and is an inspiration to those around her. “Be the light you see in the world.” I lumped sum a whole bunch of life lessons into one large essay. There’s hundreds of passages in the Bible I could have used, than inspire me. The overall message is to Seek Jesus, and if I’ve encouraged at least one person to do so, or to have a better day.. I’m happy with that. Anyone reading this has it 100x’s better than most people in the world. Wow and thank you to anyone who made it to the end. And I leave you with this.. my favorite verse, Philippians 4:13: “I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me.”