OUR THOUGHTS:
Have you ever made a promise to God
when you were terribly ill — you thought
you were going to die? Or when you
were on the verge of bankruptcy? Or like
my husband, when the roof of a huge
chicken barn was collapsing because of
the snow? Did you keep the promise? My
husband did and so did Stacy’s mother.
Heart touching story.
“ Twenty seven years ago my Mom made
a promise that changed our lives
foreverâ€, says Stacy W. Now as a mother
herself she sees the benefit of that
promise unfold in her own life.
On May 30, 1975 Stacy’s sister Carey
was born. This completed a trio of girls.
A week after Carey’s birth her Mom
knew something was terribly wrong. Her
left leg suddenly stopped working. As
soon as she arrived at the hospital it
was diagnosed as blood clots – two
hundred of them!
In her hospital bed her Mom had a
conversation with God – something that
had comforted her battered heart as a
child. Life had been harsh during her
earlier years. Now she turned to it again.
“Oh God, I want to live to see my babies
grow up and get married,†she prayed.
“Please help me. I will do anything… I’ll…
I’ll read the Bible…from cover to cover.â€
was her promise.
As she recovered she acted on her
promise. Starting in Genesis, she plodded
through, thinking it could be understood
only by men who wore stiff collars. In
the book of Acts the question came up,
“What must I do to be saved?†The
answer was clear, “Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you
and your household.†She understood
that Jesus had taken the punishment for
everything she had ever done wrong.
She responded to his call. She later told
Stacy the truth about Santa Claus and
replaced it with the story of Mary and
Jesus. “This story is real,†she said.
When Stacy was eight her Mom decided
they needed to go to church. They did,
but it felt like a foreign culture to them.
Her mother had another prayer, “God, if
you really want us to go to church,
you’re going to have to send one to our
back yard. Three weeks later a short
Norwegian pastor invited them to a new
church starting up in a barber/beauty
shop near their house. They went, but
tried to stay invisible, but were soon
surrounded and embraced by caring
people. Mom grew in her faith and Dad
and the rest of the family decided to
follow Jesus too. Her parent’s lives were
drastically changed.
The time came when Stacy decided she
wanted some freedom to “live it up a
littleâ€. She thought she’d come back
after she’d had some time to do things
her way. At 17 she indeed did decide to
come back. God had protected her in
spite of her bad decisions.
When Stacy and her sisters married,
their Mom relished in the weddings. God
answered her prayer that she would see
them wed, and choose mates who loved
God. Her joy ballooned with the arrival of
grandchildren, and when Mike and Stacy
were expecting a baby they flew home
to share the news in person.
After some tests, a blood test came
back indicating a genetic blood disorder
that could cause clotting during
pregnancy. Suddenly she was having a
“high risk pregnancyâ€. Her Mom felt
guilty: “How could I have passed this on
to you?†she thought. But God intervened
and prevented Stacy from suffering what
her mother had. “Why was I singled out
for so great a grace?†was Stacy’s
response.
On March 30, 2001 Stacy’s Mom
witnessed the birth of Mike and Stacy’s
son, Liam. She would also see how
Stacy and Mike would tell him about
God’s plan for his life.
Stacy’s Mom saw the benefits of her
earlier promise unfold before her eyes as
her children and grandchildren chose to
walk in the ways of the Lord.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God
has given you His Holy Spirit to help you
live life according to His perfect plan.
Why not pray this simple prayer and by
faith invite Him to fill you with His Spirit:
Dear Father, I need You. I
acknowledge that I have sinned
against You by directing my own
life. I thank You that You have
forgiven my sins through Christ’s
death on the cross for me. I now
invite Christ to again take His
place on the throne of my life. Fill
me with the Holy Spirit as You
commanded me to be filled, and
as You promised in Your Word
that You would do if I asked in
faith. I pray this in the name of
Jesus. As an expression of my
faith, I thank You for directing my
life and for filling me with the Holy
Spirit. Amen
