CAPTURING WHAT’S BEEN LOST!
What? What have I lost, you
say? If we truly took time to stop long
enough to look at our lives in this fast-paced world we are living in … we
would soon “see” how many of the things that really used to be important to us
have diminished – or are totally gone.
Like what? Well, let me just
focus on one of the precious things that has been attacked and chipped away at –
like our relationships! Let me narrow
that down to marriage relationships.
Think back to your dating days that led to the two of you walking down
the aisle to the altar to share your vows before God and those who came to
witness such a special moment in your lives.
Do you remember how you felt about each other then? Dare I ask if you still feel that way – or if
so much junk has gotten in the way that your first love for your spouse is just
about buried under that huge pile of anger and hurts? This is where many couples are at today – and
the special love they once shared has all but been canceled out by what they’ve
allowed circumstances and emotions to do to them. Let’s see if I can summarize in a few lines a
stranger’s story that gripped me enough to share it with you and many
others! It seems this husband came home
from work one evening, trying to get up the courage to tell his wife that he
wanted a divorce. When he finally got
the words out, all she said softly was, “why?”
He made sure she knew that he really loved someone named Jane and he
gave her a document that he had written up stating that she could have the car,
the house, and 30% of his business stock.
She began to cry and tore the paper into shreds. When he went to bed, she was sitting up
writing something of her own. When he
awoke later, she was still sitting there writing. In the morning, she revealed her own set of
documents for the divorce. She only
asked for two things. First, that they
would not tell their young son about these plans until after he had taken his
exams which were soon coming up, so he would not be too distressed about the
news of the divorce to do well on the tests.
And secondly, that her husband would give her thirty days’ notice before
the divorce and that for those final thirty days, he would carry her from their
bedroom to the front door each day as they went to work, just like he had
carried her into their bridal suite some ten years earlier. He readily agreed to the first request, but
didn’t like the second one much at all.
But – he figured if it made things go better to accomplish the divorce
he wanted, so be it. He told Jane about
the requests, and she laughed and scorned his wife’s wishes. But he followed through, and the first day as
he carried his wife down the hallway, their young son was so excited and he exclaimed,
“Wow! Daddy is carrying Mommy!” Both he and his wife felt clumsy this first
day. The second day was a bit easier,
and she put her arms gently around his neck as he carried her. With each passing day, she seemed a little
lighter and he began to experience emotions that he had not felt for a long
time and he held her a little tighter.
Their young son would bounce along with them, loving this daily routine
as the days grew into a few weeks. The
husband noticed that his wife seemed so frail, and he for once looked at her a
little closer and realized that she was not as young as she used to be, hair
graying around the fine lines on her face.
He thought about the ten years of her life she had given him already and
how those years had not been easy on her.
The thirtieth day approached, and suddenly the husband realized that he
wanted to capture once again the precious love they had once shared and then
lost. He raced to the office, ran up the
stairs and told Jane, “I don’t want a divorce anymore. I realize we never stopped loving each other;
the love just got lost somewhere along the way!” With a hard slap to his face, Jane was
gone. He ran back down to his car,
stopped at the floral shop and took a beautiful bouquet home to his wife with
the note he had written, “Honey, I know now that I want to carry you to the
front door every day – until we die!”
Arriving home, he ran into the house looking for his wife, and found her
in their bed – dead. In his busyness of
life, he had not even known that she had been fighting cancer – thus her
increasing frailty. She had only wanted
them to be able to gift their son with the knowledge that they loved each other
and he would have that solid memory when she was gone – and through that unselfish
gift, they both had become recipients of capturing and reviving what had been
lost. They only had thirty days, but
they had ALL of thirty days! It is never
too late to start, dear people! This
story is about an earthly couple – and it can be your story, as well! That’s
what I wish for you! I also challenge you to expand it in your mind
to be about you and Jesus. Perhaps life
has stolen your first love for your Lord, and you feel as if there is nothing
between you anymore. Oh, He’s never
stopped loving you … but you’ve allowed life to kidnap the intimacy and
closeness. Does it have to be this
way? Will you turn and go your separate
way from God? Whether you have thirty
days or one day – or one year or thirty years to live yet … there is no time
like the present! Start NOW! Let God carry you every day, each new
morning, wherever you go. In that
closeness, draw close to Him again – just like when you first met Him and you
became His! If you’ll admit it, that’s
what you are really, truly longing for.
And you’ve always known that you could count on His love. Today, tomorrow, always! It’s everlasting, dear ones! So please, go recapture it! It will be the best thing on this earth that
you’ve ever done! Get on your knees
before your spouse and make things right.
Get on your knees before God and make things right with Him. And out of that, you and your spouse will be
recipients of sharing the deepest love you’ve ever known! God will see to that!
IN A NUTSHELL
. . .
CHECK OUT what's happening at Elevation North this week ~ and make a decision to jump-start your week in His House!
SUN, FEB 3RD:
10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. – KIDZONE CHURCH
5:00 P.M. – SUPER BOWL
PARTY
at 165 24th Place NW, Owatonna
MON, FEB 4TH:
6:30-8:00 P.M. – RE:FUEL YOUTH
WED, FEB 6TH:
7:00 P.M. – MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY
905 El Dorado St. SE, Owatonna
THU, FEB 7TH:
7:00 P.M. – MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY
165 24th Place NW, Owatonna
ELEVATION NORTH SPOTLIGHT!
Plan to come and join us for our Super Bowl/Souper Bowl Party that will be held at 165 24th Place NW here in town! Getting together for this occasion is designed for fun fellowship with your church family! Come and watch the game and the crazy commercials ... but more importantly come and enjoy this time with your brothers and sisters in coversation and laughter! Bring plenty of yummy hot and/or cold snacks to satisfy our tastebuds while we hang out together for the evening! Along with the fun, be sure to think of someone less fortunate and bring several canned good items to share!
SIGN-UP for "A Sweet Night Out" at The Timberlodge Restaurant on February 16th at 5 P.M.!
REMEMBER . .
. “How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about
me constantly! I can’t even count how
many times a day your thoughts turn towards me.” Psalm 139:17
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
