"I Do"- What 23 years of marriage has taught me..

" Dancing in the Mine Fields"

This morning  I awoke to a still small voice.. It was whispering, "Time doesn't heal all wounds.. Healing takes place in the overcoming." The voice continued with.." I will keep putting you in places where you experience the pains of past wounds over and over again until you realize that you are there for one reason.. It is so I can use your feet, Julie to overcome your enemy on his own territory. This is where you will always find healing.. in the taking back of stolen territory.. In the overcoming." 

This nugget of wisdom comes to me two days after my 23rd wedding anniversary. It reminded me of the song above.. "Dancing in the Mind Fields". The song tells "our story". We were way too young to be getting married.. but 23 years later I'm grateful for the vows we made to one another on that wedding day. I had no idea what I was committing to.. and boy am I glad for that.. As the song says above.. 

"Well, "I do" are the  two most famous last words, the beginning of the end. But to lose your life for another I've heard is a good place to begin. The only way to find your life is to lay your own life down. and I believe it's an easy price for the life that we have found. And we're dancing in the mind fields, we're sailing in the storms and this is harder than we dreamed but I believe that's what the promise is for." 

I've learned a lot over the past 23 years of Marriage. There are many treasures to find .. some about yourself .. some about your spouse.. but the greatest treasures I found were those about Jesus. It's because of the treasures I found in Jesus that I could see the real treasures in my marriage.. He has made all the difference in how we managed to come this far..We have truly learned how to dance in the mine field.. and that, I believe is what marriage is all about. 

Our marriage began with a promise.. to be with one another... through the good times and the bad times. I must say we've had our share of both. We have had so many good that I believe they overshadow the bad. Not sure how that works.. Only way that I can come to that conclusion is..it's because of our individual relationships with Jesus. We learned a hard lesson 10 years ago when our son went back home to Heaven..It was this..

We could not fix each other.. Jesus was the only One who could do that.. 

in other words.. as Husband and wife we individually had to look to Jesus for our healing.. not one another... We were gifts to one another .. a companion to dance with through the mine fields. When we learned to make the shift..to move one another off  "the throne" and allow Jesus to take His rightful place in our lives.. it took the pressure off .. It allowed for our healing. It really has made all the difference. 

Our life .. our marriage..with Jesus on the throne.. in His rightful place has proven the statics wrong. We were NOT a casualty of war.. we are still together..and stronger because of the battles. I believe this is because we understood that it was in the battles.. we would find our healing. It wasn't time that healed ..it was going to Jesus individually during the battle so we could help each other dance through the mine fields that the enemy had created for our demise.

Jesus healed us so we could be companions and comforters for one another.   

This is what marriage is for.. this is what it's about. We are helpers for one another.. We don't complete each other..we compliment one another.. Jesus is the only one who can complete us and make us whole. So, this brings me back to the whisper I heard this morning.. 

"Time doesn't heal all wounds.. Healing takes place in the overcoming." The voice continued with.." I will keep putting you in places where you experience the pains of past wounds over and over again until you realize that you are there for one reason.. It is so that I can use your feet, Julie to overcome your enemy on his own territory. This is where you will always find healing.. in the taking back of stolen territory.. In the overcoming." 

The Lord has given us so much healing in the overcoming of our earthly battles .. He has helped us recover and gain back stolen territory. What the enemy intended for bad .. Jesus has used for our good. The good began when I realized that the places of pain were places I would learn to overcome with Jesus.. They were not places of eternal punishment and sorrow.. but places where I would trade my ashes for His beauty and where He would  turn my mourning into dancing:)

I'm grateful to have this perspective today.. what a gift! We are the evidence of Gods goodness .. of His loving kindness here on earth. We are the living proof of how powerful His hope is.. it saved my life and our marriage. I'm glad I learned to dance through the mine fields... its been harder than I thought.. but the promise of healing kept us dancing in the right directions:)

Happy 23rd, Smith Peck.. You've been a wonderful dance partner:) Thanks for letting Jesus teach you some great dance moves:)

Reflections of His Glory

Currently, I'm taking a class on how to create a self care plan. It's teaching me how to live out 1st commandment first and 2nd commandment second.

"Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like the first:
Love your neighbor as yourself."
- Matthew 22:37-39

Last night we were discussing His glory... Specifically the glory He placed with in us so we could be a reflection of Him "on earth". 

Do you know what your glory is? Its treasures He placed with in your heart that allows you to become the "the one of a kind" individual here on earth that He created long ago in Heaven. How do we discover these treasures? We go on a treasure Hunt... Why? because these treasures are usually buried deep with in our hearts .. They are covered with a debris of lies from the enemy.

Allow me to paint you a picture. Your heart, its a treasure from God filled with many truths about who you are in Him. for example it may read like this.. Chosen, Beloved, Daughter of the King, Worthy, Brave, Full of hope, Healed, Beautiful, Free, Royalty, Holy and Blameless, Citizen of Heaven, light of the world, Free from sin and bound to righteousness. These are all true statements about who we are in Christ.. These are the treasures we must find and believe and live by.. But most often they stay dormant .. dead .. underneath the enemy's lies. He covers our treasures with dirty lies like.. shame, blame, guilt, unworthiness, performance, perfectionism, lust, greed, pride.. You get the picture.. All of these lies cover and kill our treasures.. our truths.. they were also bought by Christ when He died on the cross for you and your sins.. He paid for them.. and somehow we are tricked into thinking they are ours to take back ....and carry with us through life.

Jesus says to us.."give me back what's mine. That shame you carry.. its mine.. You've stolen from me and I want it back. I've replaced it with worthiness and grace.. mercy and beauty is yours to keep.. Give me the dirty lies of the enemy so my truth about you can live."

The real truth is until you give back to God what is His... The truth about who you are in Him will never live. The reflection of Him will never been seen through you until you give back to Him what is His. We must uncover the truth about who we are.. so we can live..

It is a real tragedy to allow these truths to die while living here on earth.. So, my challenge to you is this.. What have you stolen from Jesus? Shame.. guilt.. unworthiness? What ever it is.. give it back.. Ask for forgiveness and ask Him to wash you clean.. Ask Him to reveal the truth about who you are and what your special treasures are:) For me its Hope.. its Life.. its laughter... its worthiness..and courage.. its perseverance.. and love.. and my hope is to share it.. give it away extravagantly to all who want to share it with me:)

Lord, We love You.. We love who You are to us and for us... and we love who You want us to become and be.. Help us see a glimpse of Your goodness in our hearts today. Help us uncover the treasure and the beauty of You within us:) Give us the courage to believe:) I love You God- You make all things new!