Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time there was a little girl growing up in Fraser, Michigan. Every morning she watched her daddy leave for work at 7 am, knowing that he would be home that night at 6 pm for dinner. Day after day after day that's how it went. She dreamed she would grow up and marry someone just like him. He was the best daddy ever … handsome, smart, with laugh wrinkles around his eyes. He took good care of his family.

But something happened to that girl. Something she was not prepared for during her 18 years of watching what a family looked like living in the Auto City of the Midwest USA. She moved away to college . . . She met Jesus.

That changed everything. And then she … okay me … I fell in love with a man. A man called to full time ministry. (To what? What is that? I don't even know what that means. Is it just for a few months? Maybe a couple years and then we settle down and get that house with that white picket fence I dreamed about when I was 7? Have a dog and yard and maybe some cute little babies? Sunday dinner with the folks each week? Ministry? How do you do that? Yikes! What am I doing? I’m barely a Christian, and I am committing to what kind of life? He's called? What's a calling? Oh, Lord, help me!)

And so my journey began just this way 30 years ago.

"Yes," Jesus replied, "And I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred time as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and property -- along with persecution." (Mark 10:29-30)

Before I could marry this man of God, I had to ask myself the question: "Am I willing to give up my childhood dream for Jesus' sake?" It took me a while to answer this.

We had a long engagement!