The Future

“… But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:13b-14

Jeff earned a Gold Star as a husband today. This week my spirit just felt heavy from all the burdens and baggage of our life. Sometimes it's hard for me to feel enthused about the future when the present is such a struggle. Anyway, when Jeff returned home from his lunch break--I don't know if he was just happy to see me out of my bathrobe or what--but he just swept me up and kept kissing me until I was out of breath and repeated how much he loved me and how happy he was to build our life together. He said, "I just can't wait to enjoy an amalgam of kids with my favorite person. It's gonna be great. It's already great." It's certainly a complicated, unusual situation, but he's right. It's gonna be great.

The other night I got together with a couple of women from church. We talked about our challenges and family life. I shared my struggles...My marriage would be perfect, I insisted--minus the baggage and extra stuff. "But what a testimony you will have to offer broken and blended families," shared a friend. "You've got to focus on being the light of Christ for others." She's right. When you're dealing with the seemingly impossible and people see that and know that...and yet you reign victorious and joyful in Christ, people notice. And our living testimonies are such a powerful driving force to bring people to Christ before they even pick up the Good Book itself.