Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

this little blog…

just some info about this fav, super special little bloggie of mine…

i started this little blog in 2006 (wow, it’s been 7 years). it was started as an outlet, a way to share my scrapbook pages and a way to keep in touch with family.  but then something happened.  as time went on, more and more people started reading.

a few months back, i glanced at my site meter.  i saw something that was beyond anything i could have imagined.  i have readers from russia, canada, china, united kingdom, germany, philippines, france and malaysia.  and i realized, in that moment, that this blog was my Ministry.  God has done something i never, in a million years, would have imagined this country girl from a tiny town in central pennsylvania doing.  i have actually “went into the world” from my living room.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Mark 16:15

every day i write blog posts to inspire others and make them smile; to share hope, grace and truth; to share my own mistakes and sins; to share my heart; and to share Jesus and His amazing love with others around the world.

i absolutely want my blog to be a happy, positive place.  a place where you know, even on your worst day, you can leave it with a smile on your face and feel refreshed.  a place where the heart of Jesus shines through.

my blog is not a place to gossip, air my dirty laundry or share all my secrets with the world.  and it really hurts my heart that some might see my Ministry as that.  it’s not here to promote drama of any type.  if you have a question about something you read here, i would absolutely love to answer it and talk to you about it.  but please, don’t question others about it.  

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Love, Respect and Godly Submission {Gods Design}

hey y’all!  thanks for joining me for our september bible study on Godly submission!  i’m so excited about this!  it’s something God has really been nudging my heart about lately.

submission is a word that holds many definitions among the world.  offensive, not acceptable, inferior, controlling and not politically correct are among the few.  but yet, it’s something we, as Christian wives, are called to do.      

first,  let me share my story…

as a woman who spent her entire life striving to be viewed as strong and independent, the thought of being submissive to anyone, let alone my husband, scared me to death. and i have to say, at first it made me angry. so angry that i completely rebelled against it and refused it. yep, i was a child rebelling against what my Father had not only told, but commanded me to do.

are you serious Jesus? um, hello…i’m amy…the girl that took the words “honor and obey” out of her vows for a reason! and now you want me to be submissive to my husband? seriously?   (on a quick side note, completely embarrassed and mortified that i actually took that out of my vows.  what in the world was my 20 year old mind thinking?)

and He answered loud and clear…”YEP”

wow, okay…deep breaths, i can do this…

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
Ephesians 5:22-24 22 

definition of submission  the word SUBMIT, according to Strong’s Lexicon is the Greek word hupotaso  which was originally a Greek military term meaning “to arrange troop divisions under the command of a leader”. in non-military use, it was “a voluntary attitude of giving in, of cooperating, of sharing a burden. in other words, when the word submit is used in the Bible, it refers not only to a yielding and obedient attitude of the heart, but also, and equally importantly, to an attitude of co-operation and support. without co-operation and support, things just don’t work they way they should.

what is submission?  submission is the acceptance of God’s order for our lives. as wives, we are to submit to Christ and submit to our husbands.  submission by a wife is to be voluntary.  it’s part of our obedience to the Lord.  there aren’t conditions to this submission either.  we are called to submit to our husbands, even if we feel they don’t deserve it.  we are to trust in their leadership, even if we don’t agree with it and submit to them even if we feel they aren’t meeting their roles.

Christian marriage is intended to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and His church.  let me say that again, because it blew my mind when i first learned it.  our marriage was designed specifically to mirror our relationship between Christ and His church.  we are acting out a living parable where husbands represent Christ and wives represent the church to bring glory to God and to help our children and others around us grasp what God is like in a more concrete way. does that change the way you look at marriage? it sure did with me. God intended marriage to mirror His relationship with the church so that we could basically be a testimony to others and SHOW them what God is like.

a marriage with Godly submission should be a faithful, intimate and loving relationship.  boy, doesn’t that sound like a far cry from what the world tells us submission is?
  so it turns out submission isn’t a sign of weakness, like this silly girl thought all along, it’s a sign of respect! and of course i want to honor and respect my husband, i love him.

what submission is not   submission is not abusive.  God does not want women to be submissive to abusers.  as wives, we have to be confident of our husbands goodwill.  remember, the command to wives to submit to their husbands is followed by the command to husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for her (Ephesians 5:25). in cases of abuse, there is a mighty need for an intervention and Godly counsel.  if you are in an abusive relationship, i would urge you to reach out to focus ministries.  it’s a Biblical based non-profit organization that offers counseling by phone, email, or in person. they want you to know you aren’t alone and you are oh so valuable to God!!!

submission also shouldn’t be used for leverage.  submission absolutely comes with no strings attached.  it is a heart desire to please God and do what is best for your family.  i mean really, what wife doesn’t want to live in peace?  don’t we all desire that?  there is such an inner peace that comes from living in harmony with our husbands while obeying God.

as women, we are quite good at knowing how to manipulate our husbands to get them to do what we want.  oh come on girls, we all know we’ve done it at one time or another.  that is definitly not subission.  and it’s something we should never, ever do.

Chuck Swindoll said this about submission:

Webster says that manipulation means “to control or play upon by unfair or insidious means, especially to one’s own advantage or to serve one’s own purpose.” In other words, secret manipulation is an unfair, insidious technique that results in getting what one wants. When handled cleverly, a wife can substitute secret manipulation for a quiet, submissive spirit.

why is submission so hard?  and why is this so hard for me?  it’s from a lack of surrender.  because i am, by nature, a controller.  that controlling nature is nothing more than pride and sin bubbling to the surface.  and the thoughts of not having control over a situation scares-me-to-death. but i believe God’s advice and His will to be the best for my life. even if I don’t fully understand it, i trust Him. with that being said, i somehow had to figure it out because i don’t want to live my life is disobedience. so i asked God to teach me what it means.

often we wives are afraid of losing control (and by “we wives” i really mean this wife right here) and WE get in the way of creating the marriages we ache for. you know, the one where we have a strong, confident, Godly man, who loves us like Christ loves the church. i know this girl certainly wants that type of marriage.

so this week, be an asset to your husband and try your best to learn what submission looks like in a Godly marriage. don’t forget to stop back next friday as we take a look at the beauty of submission. remember, keep your eyes on Him!

out for now
~kisses

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sharing my story {finally}

this might be the hardest post i’ve ever shared.  ever.  i’ve been writing this for days, pouring over it hours at a time.  i’ve been back and forth with if i should even post it.  it’s hard and uncomfortable, but God has called me to share.

i’ve always had this dialogue in my head.  the exact conversation i wanted to have with my children once they reached an age of understanding.  then that conversation is drown out by the loud voice saying you can’t tell them that, tell them your mistakes?  then they’ll run and do the same thing you did.  why would you even consider sharing that?  such a stupid idea.  why would you want to share your shame?  and so, for years, i’ve kept this hidden inside me.  until today.  it’s time to hush up that loud voice that satan is oh-so-good at putting in my mind.  it’s time to add more transparency.  it’s time to be real.

when i was growing up, i didn’t have a purity ring.  i didn’t have limits set or a plan of action.  i had the church simply saying “don’t do it or God will be mad”.  but everyday, i sat and listened to teens around me talking about sex like it was the best thing since sliced bread.  and there i sat, struggling to fit in anyways.  this was just one more way i wasn’t going to fit in.  i had no story to share.  maybe if i had a story to share, then i would fit in.  then i wouldn’t get made fun of for my full lips or big booty.  then girls wouldn’t be mean to me for reasons i still don’t know.  then boys would actually not be afraid to say they liked me, instead of telling me not to tell anyone.  that was the answer, i needed my own story.

i wish i had heard that purity was beautiful.  valuable.  precious.  an amazing gift given to us by God to give to our spouse.  i wish purity had been a bigger topic among my circle.  i wish i had been told that God’s grace is bigger than the choices we make.  i wish i had heard that we are all sinners.  i wish i had heard more about forgiveness rather than being scoffed at.

i adore the words from this phillips, craig and dean song.  every single time i hear it, my eyes fill with tears.

He ran to me,
He took me in His arms,
Held my head to His chest,
Said “My son’s come home again!”
Lifted my face,
Wiped the tears from my eyes,
With forgiveness in His voice He said
“Son, do you know I still love You?”
He caught me by surprise, When God ran…

my story is filled with Gods grace, forgiveness and love.  it’s full of the times He ran to me, wiped my tears and told me He still loved me.  it’s filled with an amazing husband who, even though i was broken, accepted me for who i was and loved me.

there is a much better way, Gods way. His plan is certainly better than any we could make!  God loves you and thinks you are so precious!  He absolutely treasures you.  He wants you to save your body and your heart for the one person you will spend your life with.  the one person you will enter into that amazing covenant of marriage with.  think of what an amazing gift you would be able to give your future spouse on your wedding day. not only would you be giving them your whole heart but you could also give them your whole body as well. what an awesome gift that would be!

oh sweet soul, there is hope!  you are so much more.  you have a Heavenly Father who absolutely loves and adores you.  He doesn’t see you as used, unworthy, empty, damaged or broken.  He see’s you as perfectly beautiful!  He was there with you when you cried, He was wiping away your tears.  He was beside you when you felt all alone, waiting for you to reach out to Him.  He wants to run to you, hold you, wipe away your tears and tell you He still loves you!!!!  your story doesn’t define you, precious one.  and through Him, with His amazing grace, you can be completely cleansed and restored!

Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
1 Timothy 5:22

out for now

~kisses
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