Betsy Barrett
Ephesians 3:17
May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
In my teens I struggled to understand God and wanted to know how to find God. In my struggles I finally sat down, opened my heart and prayed, “Okay God, if you are real and love me, come into my heart now.” The amazing thing about that moment is that it changed my life! At sixteen God felt real to me, then and now. I never doubt God’s nearness to me, supporting me and loving me. This has been my experience for sixty years! I may have wavered some but that was minimal.
I don’t expect others to believe like I do. When I was younger, I thought they should believe, and I needed others to be near me. Now I don’t strive for that but welcome those who encourage my faith. The true test of my acceptance of others who don’t believe like me is my husband, Ben. We met on a dating website where we shared our interests. I wrote about the importance of my faith in God. On our first date, Ben explained how he did not share this kind of faith. Out of my mouth came the words, “That’s not a deal breaker!” Another part of me was shocked and said, “I can’t believe you said that!” Deep down I felt a little surprised but knew that I needed to honor my spontaneous and honest response.
God surprises me sometimes, and I’ve learned to pay attention even when another part of me is doubtful. Listening to God isn’t always easy, but I still recommend it.
GOD KNOWS WHAT’S BEST FOR ME, SO I TRY TO LISTEN WELL!!!
