If you have ever been inspired by anything that I have written, it is, in part, because the Lord has given me friends like this to learn from and be inspired by. None of us are equipped to "fly solo," and it is through the Godly women that are in my life that I am able to be encouraged and supported at those points where I am weakest.
When I was going through my latest panic attack -- fearing the "End Times" and going through the Tribulation -- I called Julie and recounted all the things that were terrifying me.
"You know what really scares me?" She said.
"No," I replied, thinking she was going to hit me with some new terror I hadn't even thought of yet.
"What really scares me is that Christians in the rest of the world will experience persecution, but we won't. We'll continue on as we always have, and never experience the joy of suffering for Christ or the blessings that come when we trust Him through something like that."
Yes, my jaw hit the floor... and if yours didn't, perhaps you didn't read that statement carefully enough.
But that's Julie.
She is an amazing woman who lives out her faith every day, during good times and bad. She is quick to encourage me when I'm doubting my ability to live out my vocation... quick to jump in whenever she sees a need... and quick to rejoice with others when they have been blessed.
She is the one who always reminds me that "we choose our luxuries" -- meaning that those of us who have "sacrificed" our desire to live exciting lives in the corporate world, or who wish for a bigger house (ahem) or the latest toy/gadget/chance to be featured in Southern Living must remember that we HAVE chosen a great luxury. We have chosen to stay at home, raise our children, and teach them. When compared to everything else, ours is the greatest luxury of all.
She says in one of her posts that she doesn't live up to the "perfect homeschooler" model she holds in her head. None of us do. But let me state for the record... as someone who gets to see her on an almost daily basis... that she is doing a phenomenal job (along with her husband, of course!) of raising her children.
Welcome, my friend, to the blogosphere!
5 comments:
I love you, Kathy! Thanks for being my cheerleader.
Julie
Love you too! I know you're going to do a great job! I'm so glad you decided to take the plunge!
I found you through your "wanna-be" friend -- isn't blogging the best?
Looking forward to visiting you again. You have a lovely family and inspiring words.
Thank you for sharing them!
Dear Cathy, thank you for stopping by! I went to your blog and saw that you are experiencing the same sort of puppy problems Julie is! I am sooooooo sorry for you!
Thanks again, friend, for encouraging me to blog. It's so much fun. I love you bunches, and we're continuing to pray for your family's full recovery. We miss you guys!!!
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