Something bigger

I was reading in my devotional by Jon Courson this morning and came across this section that totally confirmed my experience with the phase of life that my husband (Mike, in the band Burden of a day), myself, and our two-year old daughter Finley are in at the moment. It's a long quote, but hang in there because it's a really great one!

He says, "There are people called into ministry, missions, or other opportunities to serve the Lord who say, 'We can't do it now because we're getting married. But after we're settled, we're going to really go for it for the Lord.' So I talk to them a year later, only to hear them say, 'We're really excited about serving the Lord, but we have to get our baby out of diapers. Then we're really going for it.' But then Junior is in elementary school and they say, 'We can't pull him out of school, Boy Scouts, and sports.' And what happens? All too often those who focus completely on the family find problems abounding within the family because they weren't true to the calling God placed upon their lives in the first place.
Get outside of yourselves, married couple. Say, 'We're engaged in something bigger than ourselves-it's called eternity.' Seek first the Kingdom, Mom and Dad- and watch everything else fall into place."

I can speak from experience that this is completely right on with what God has done in our life since we made the choice for Mike to join the band (which was when I was 8 months pregnant with Finley). It was a scary decision, but I remembered something that I had learned in YWAM before Mike and I were dating. It was probably the best marital advice that I have ever received. They said to always hold your spouse with an open hand. Meaning that he is your husband, supporter, best friend, etc., but first and foremost, he is God's. This life is way too short for Mike, Fin, and I to be "comfortable" at home and not living out our calling. What are we here for anyways, if not to do God's will?

And I have never experienced such freedom as I have since we have been "on the mission field." Yeah, money's tight and I miss having Mike around, but our marriage is so much stronger because we both have such respect for what the other one is doing. And I am amazed at the strength and versatility that Finley has. She is just a beautiful, kind, well-rounded, spunky little girl...who is about to take her 44th flight next week! She is such a trooper! It is hard, but Jesus also said, "If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life" (Luke 9:24).

Lizzy Sommers

My Deliverer

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

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As a musician's wife there is always a fine line to walk between supporting your husband and his ministry, as well as being honest with others and not portraying your life as something it is not.

I am so grateful that God has placed INCREDIBLE fellow band wifes in my life who can laugh with me, cry with me, share heartaches with me, encourage me, and spur me on, all without judging me or my emotions. They have traveled, and are traveling this road with me. They know that I still love and support my husband even though I might say "life really sucks right now!"

I was very encouraged today by the passage above. In it Paul begins by saying "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the provinece of Asia." He does not minimize the trials and struggles he suffered. He did not try to make his life look like something it was not, but he turned their attention immediately to God by saying "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead".

We want to be real about our lives, about our struggles. It is not fun to struggle financially, it is not fun to be without your husband for 8 week stretches, it is not fun to work several jobs and to raise your children essentially on your own, but we know that our God will deliver us. And only when we are real with other people about our lives and our struggles will God get the credit for delivering us!

"On Him we set our hope that he will continue to deliver us." 2 Cor 1:10