Kevin and I have been married for seven years and have one daughter, Sophie, who is two years old. We both accepted Christ at an early age, I was nine and he was nineteen. In the past several months neither of us has felt that we have been completely living for the Lord. The Holy Spirit was strongly convicting our hearts and on December 22, 2013, we made a personal decision to go forward at our home church, Bellevue Baptist, and rededicate our lives to Christ.
Even though we believed in God the Father, His son, Jesus Christ, and the inerrancy of the Bible, we didn’t always apply God’s Word to our own personal lives. We would read Bible stories to Sophie and teach her the principles of God’s word, but we were not living in total obedience to Him. Over the past six months, it seemed that everywhere we went God was speaking directly to us; the message our pastor preached each week seemed as though it was written just for us. The lessons taught in our Life Group seemed as if they were directly intended for us. Conversations we had with other Christians seemed to be related to the struggle we were having with the question of our salvation, even a fun night of cookie baking at Ms. Dianne’s house turned into a conversation about salvation.
We knew we loved the Lord, believed His Word and had a relationship with Him, so it was difficult to fully understand what He was trying to tell us. For several months we prayed for answers. We had deep conversations with one another, spoke to other Christians and then it became evident just what God wanted us to do. He wanted us to lay aside our lives, fully surrendering to Him, which is exactly what we did. We came to realize that prayer is a two way conversation, talking to God but then listening for His response. The day we rededicated our lives to the Lord was amazing. We both left church with a refreshing sense of joy that we hadn’t experienced in a long time. For the first time in years, we would be celebrating the birth of Christ being fully surrendered and completely committed to Him. The weight of the world was literally lifted!
Who would have thought that our lives would be so totally changed in the midst of adulthood? We certainly didn’t! Before that day, we thought we were doing everything right, but much to our dismay, God had something better for us. We had to fully open our hearts to Him, listening for His voice and walk by faith, choosing Him over all else.
During the months that the Lord was drawing us to Himself, and since we fully surrendered our lives to Him, our personal lives have been miraculously changed. Many things in our marriage relationship that used to overwhelm us are not so overwhelming anymore. We now turn to prayer and work together to get through them. The things that used to irritate us about one another or life, we are learning to appreciate. Struggles of everyday life are now turned over to God and we find peace in knowing that He will always answer us, guide us and protect us. The most important lesson that we have learned is that we can fully trust the Lord in all circumstances and be assured that He will always provide what is best for us and our family. We are not in control. God is ultimately in full control and He asks that we seek him and He will in return bless us with more of Himself. Any decisions we now make as individuals or as a family are taken to our Father for direction.
A healthy marriage must have a solid foundation built upon the Lord, so that through Him, you can grow spiritually as an individual and as a family. I would strongly encourage everyone, regardless of where you are in your life, to get involved with other Christians. Our church has set a wonderful example for us, we have learned from the many godly people God has placed in our lives. The Secrets Bible study has personally impacted my life more than anyone will ever know. My heart is extremely full and excited to meet each week with these amazing ladies. Kevin and I are excited about our new spiritual journey together, teaching our daughter about Christ, and strengthening our walk with our Savior.
– Sarah Watkins