Wednesday's Word ~ Belief

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."



Have you ever really gave thought to what you believe in I mean.... deep soul searching thought. I have on several occasions...... here is just a partial list of things I really, truly, from the heart and soul believe in....

I believe.....

* that Eric loves me and only looks out for the best interest of me, us and our family.
* that keeping the pantry and freezers stocked up helps save us hundreds each year.
* that I can keep the clothing budget down by buying at yard sales, thrift shops, clearance racks, and especially accepting hand-me-downs when offered!
* that it takes real communication in marriage to make it all work!
* that Ripely (our dog) has one of the most annoying barks ever....
* we have a loving family and we all look out for each other.
* that chocolate was put on Earth just for women!
* that our children are growing in faith and walking closer to God as they grow.
* that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the only Way into eternal life with God.

See, we can believe in a great deal of things, from the bark of a dog..... to the profound gift that is Jesus!


But what really makes us believe what we believe? Well, just going by my partial list of beliefs I know that I personally believe in those things because to me they have been proven over and over again....

* that Eric loves me and only looks out for the best interest of me, us and our family. See for this one its real simple.... Eric has proven over and over that he loves me.... that even when I don't agree with him, he is honestly looking out for the best interest of me personally, for us as a couple, and for our family.... does he do what I think should be done each and every time..... no. But he also has a different perspective than I and I have come to learn to trust, to believe that he will always do what he thinks is best for us.

* that keeping the pantry and freezers stocked up helps save us hundreds each year. Okay, this one is pretty easy too...... I have been keeping my pantry and freezers stocked for several years now..... and I can honestly say that I can save money by doing this. I can remember a time when I did not keep stock, and I also remember going way over budget with the groceries each and every month.... costing us precious resources. Now-a-days, with a well organized, well stocked pantry and freezer I am able to shop more frugally because I no longer have to worry about what I have at home or not....... I can now wait for sales and purchase things in larger quantities and still stay within budget.

* that I can keep the clothing budget down by buying at yard sales, thrift shops, clearance racks, and especially accepting hand-me-downs when offered! I have proved this for me as well..... I can tell you that honestly I just don't buy many things at full retail. I could never justify with myself paying full price for an item for the kids when I knew they would be outgrowing it or wearing it to play in the dirt/mud on a regular basis.... so I found long ago my love for yard sales, thrift shops and clearance racks..... and of course I don't think I have ever refused any hand-me-downs.... not even for myself.... and if we cannot use the items then I simply pass them on or send them to a charity.


* that it takes real communication in marriage to make it all work! Now this statement you see all the time (in some form or other) but before I really believed in it I had to see it work personally.... every marriage has a few rough times and ours was no exception..... but a few short years ago I really got a wake up call when, in the middle of a counseling session with Eric I said something and the counselor asked if I had ever told Eric what I had just said..... uhmm, not really..... it seems that I had was not as good at communicating with my beloved as I thought..... our marriage is much better these days in the communication area....

* that Ripely (our dog) has one of the most annoying barks ever...I love him dearly, but just listen to him for one day and you would agree....


* we have a loving family and we all look out for each other. This statement has been put to the test over and over.... and has always been true.


* that chocolate was put on Earth just for women! There some days in the lives of women that nothing but chocolate will do....

* that our children are growing in faith and walking closer to God as they grow. As the years are going by, we have been able to watch our children grow in faith. To watch them eagerly seek out God and to do service for Him is a great blessing on us as parents.

and...
* that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is the only Way into eternal life with God. To say you believe in this statement is easy.... the hard part is proving it to yourself and often to those around you as well..... it is not until you really put your absolute trust in Jesus that you can really make this statement true to yourself.... it is not until you search Him out, abide in His Word, and seek Him to rest in, and relinquish yourself completely to His Will that you will know you truly have proved this to yourself. Its a struggle for us as people to do this... our very nature wars with us to keep control of some part of ourselves.... we find that even those men that walked with Jesus, those men that were chosen to be His apostles warred within themselves to fully give themselves into His service. But, just as it was with them, it is with us today.... a decision can be made. I have made that choice to put myself, my whole self ..... into His Will for my life. And in that choice comes the belief that Jesus is the only Son of God and that He is the ONLY Way into eternal life with God.