“…give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice–the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” Romans 12:1, NLT

IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK?

Dear Heavenly Father, I was awakened from sleep last night with these thoughts of You and what You have done for us. You knew before we needed anything in our lives and You provided ways to meet those needs. This has happened throughout our lives! Even in our imperfections, You knew and You provided.

You knew we needed and wanted salvation at very young ages. You knew we loved Your church and fought for her holiness. You gave us strength and courage to fight to uphold the integrity of Your church. You also knew we would be hurt and You provided a “cushion” for our fall…our loving children…and grandchildren who love us unconditionally. You knew what we needed most.

You knew I would need a husband who had strength and relentless integrity to lead us through the ups and downs of life. You knew I would need Randy to help me care for dad in our home. You knew I would need a man like Randy who is a hardworking man, who does not give up easily, as an example for his children. You knew I would need a man to walk me through the agony of being betrayed by Your people. And You knew I would need to be needed by him and help him through illness and pain. 

You knew years ago, in the early years of our marriage, with Randy working full time and going to school full time, with me at home with three small children that money was tight and You provided a “win” of $50 for groceries when we were down to nothing. Our car tag number being in a contest we knew nothing about, was drawn. A neighbor called my dad and said, “Isn’t that your daughter’s car?”. The neighbor had a photographic memory of numbers and just happened to notice….yes, You knew. 

You knew we would need You throughout those “growing up in You years” to be refined, molded and shaped for what we are doing now and You provided mercy, grace and unconditional love through our lives with outstanding mentors placed strategically in our lives at just the right times. I thank you for those people.

You knew we both love to teach. You put that in us. You called. You trained us. You sent us. You provided classrooms with all kinds of kids as a training ground, then to the world to teach and back again. You knew.

You knew I needed to decrease ministry for awhile so I could move my parents a thousand miles closer to us and You prompted me to look at a paper one day that showed me their new place to live. You sold their home in one month…just before the housing market bottomed out…at the best price possible…so they could make the move financially. A year later, You took mom to be with You. You knew. 

You knew that dad would not be able to live alone, so you provided us with a home we could share with him…at a good price…even in our Realtor’s mind! You knew before we knew.

You knew this winter would be hard on us financially with little to no work because of the extreme weather conditions…so, You told me to enter a contest to win a car and not just any car, a classic Mustang that could readily be sold. You knew this would get us through the winter, help us help others with their finances, help me get to Haiti for a mission to the women of Haiti, and focus on what YOU have next for us. YES! YOU KNEW!

There are many other things You knew that I will just cherish in my own heart, but today I must tell the world just how much YOU KNEW and YOU KNOW about us, insignificant us, just two people in a world of millions, specks on the universe…and yet you know us. You know “the hairs on our head” and you knew us before we were born.

So, is it too much to ask to give ourselves back to You?

NO! LET ME SHOUT IT…NO!