I heard that phrase at a teaching years back and it has always stuck with me! I love it! It speaks such truth!Had dinner tonight with my good friend Jen. She lives about 45 mins from us and since I was up that way taking mom and Asher to the airport, I stopped for dinner at Olive Garden. YUMMY! Jen is leaving on Thursday for Niger, Africa for 2 years- please keep her in prayer! While it is not a mission trip, she will definitely be in a mission field! She is going over to teach at an embassy school there and I have a feeling God will open many ministry opportunities for her! She is going to start a blog once there and I will post a link to it once she does! It will be exciting!
In any case, her and I were talking about various things involving what God has done in her life to bring her to this and in mine to bring me here and with the wedding. So on the ride home I was reflecting on our conversation and began writing this blog in my head. Silly, but that is how I work. One of the things we talked about was how Scott and I sold/donated anything from our past before moving in together as husband and wife. Many people had made the comment before we got married in regard to us registering and gifts that "well you two each already have a home so you probably don't need much." Well yes, we did have everything but most of what we each had we had purchased while we were in another releationship. We agreed once we got engaged to get rid of anything that had been bought or gifted during our previous releationships. To be honest, I feel the Lord laid that on my heart with a seed planted a long time ago. About 4 years ago (I think it was 4!) I attended a Ladies retreat in Murietta, CA where Gisela Yohannon was the guest speaker. Amazing! That weekend had such an impact on my life! One of the things she taught on concerned keeping things from our past. How by doing so we can hinder God being able to move in lives. She wasn't just talking about spirtitually holding but also physically. But aren't they the same? The example she used was a lady who was having troubles in her marriage and was going through old pictures and reflecting on old flings and how satan used that to bring more trouble! Scott and I knew we did not want to give satan anything to use in our lives to bring any trouble. He tries even without needing anything, but why make it easier? I won't say it was easy. There were things I had which held no sentimental value and I liked! But God always reminded why I was letting them go and that was enough to do so. How easy could satan use a pot to bring troubles in our marriage? So we decided that we were not bringing anything into this home! Scott had purchased this home on his own and never lived here or even had another woman here so for us it was important to keep this place pure for our new marriage! God has provided abundantly for us for everything we needed to replace what we sold. Besides, it was fun to shop for new stuff! I don't even miss any of the old stuff! So glad we chose to do what we did, we chose to be obedient to what God had laid on our hearts, even though it was difficult at times to let go. That's just it though, it was a struggle on some things but then once we let go, it was like "why was holding onto that?" LOL!
The other day I checked the mail and there was a letter, a personal one, addressed to Scott's ex. Funny thing, I didn't even know her name until that day! I had to ask him who is ____ King? Anyway, he was baffled because she had never lived here or even ever received mail here. So we just returned it to sender. Just an example of how satan can weasle his way in. It would have been so easy for that to turn into something between us but it didn't. Like I said, not letting satan get any grip in our marriage!
You know, there are so many times I think, Herbie would love to be playing with Hunter in the grass, or Rebel would have loved to be hanging outside in the kennel, or they would have loved playing with us at the river. Again, while Herbie was always my dog, I did get him from my mom while with my ex and he had picked out Rebel. God blessed me with them when I needed them but knew it was time to let go, even though I wasn't ready! Still makes me sad and def wasn't easy but God has taken care of that and provided me with comfort in those times and peace about the decisions to let them go. He also has blessed me with Hunter, another loved one pet to inch his way into my heart and provide the companionship that dogs do! Scott already has plans for a nice spot in our garden to bury Herb and Reb's remains too. We got some lovely headstones and plan on planting some carrots in their memory! ;)
I am reminded of one of my favorite verses, its from the Old Testament (which I keep wanting to read more of!)
Joel 2:25: "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you." While God was speaking to the Israelites here I have always been reminded of the restoration God does in our life, in my life, of all the years the locust ate away. Sometimes the locust still gets in and takes a nibble but I have the strength of the Lord to fight them off stronger now than before I was saved. While this restoration often hurt, sometimes pinched a little, God is good! So yea, we got rid of every little thing that had been a part of lives while we were with someone else and not truly walking with the Lord and its good!
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