This past year has been such an incredible year for me, as a wife and mother. God has been working in my life in so many ways and revealing Himself more each day! I hope to share some things in just a chapter and hopefully staying away from a lengthy novel!
First the problem of where to begin. I think I will begin with the things God has revealed to me in the month of June. We were at Camp Bighorn in the month of June and we stayed in our camper while Eric was doing staff training and helping out in Op's where his position will be once we raise 100% of our needed support. I got sick a few days after we arrived at camp and was sick without a voice for more than two weeks. During this time I was going through the Priscilla Shirer study "Jonah". I was learning so much, God used a few key passages to give me encouragement about this change we will soon go through. Despite this learning and revealing about how God is in control I still struggled with giving up my "ideals" and what I thought other people thought we should be doing. It sounds ridiculous but God was showing me what I needed to do as a wife but I was still listening to those around me. The question is what do I, Krystle, really want?
I really want to have an amazing marriage, a close relationship with God, raise our blessings from God properly with love and respect and to reach out to others that are hurting! Stuff doesn't matter, having a nice car doesn't matter, having a showroom home doesn't matter, having a certain lifestyle doesn't matter. Problem is I was putting other's ideals (fear of man) before what I truly desired and what God wanted for me as a wife and mother!
Another study I started was the Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This is another eye-opener and I highly recommend my sisters read this book and get the study guide with it! I had NO idea how many lies I was believing. I recognized the fear of man lie that I was cutting out of my life after the Jonah study. Plus there were some more. God has shown me that He is good, He is just, He is loving, He is my Father but He is also my only Judge. What other people think and what I think other people think is mindless drivel compared to what I should be concerned with! God has given us so much instruction in His written Word and it is vital that we be in the Word daily!
Now that God has shown me things in my life I need to change, things that I need to stop, things that I need to start doing, life has been enjoyable, adventurous, amazing and I realize how blessed I am as a wife and mother! What a ministry I have to our children, a ministry to other moms and children around us! What a window of opportunity to show the light of Christ to others around me! Life is full of opportunities to be a light to others.
Now as a wife God has shown me so many things regarding this too! I realized that submission isn't giving up who I am in Christ, giving up my personality or giving up my hobbies. It's just deferring responsibility to it's proper place, which is to the husband! How freeing to know that I can still be who I am in Christ, enjoy the talents that God gave me and not have the responsibility of the man too! Being a wife and mother is more than enough. Submission isn't being stupid, it's being smart. Now that I no longer worry about income, etc., I can concentrate my time walking with God, learning how to be a wife after God's direction and raising our kids up properly! Freedom!!!
I have a couple of books I can recommend regarding this, but mostly God has directed me to this right from His Word and the Lies Women Believe book.
So after all of this, and some more that I haven't expounded on, I continue reading encouraging article, blog and devotionals on how important it is to be a wife first then a mother! Obviously God is continuing to remind me and get this proper thinking concrete in my mind!
I know I talked to some about my doubts and concerns about working at Camp Bighorn and how I would rather stay in Wisconsin.
Truth is, after God has shown me these things, after I have changed my thinking and stopped believing the lies I had been living this has all changed.
Our most recent trip to Camp Bighorn has eliminated my previous concerns. My questions that became worries have been eliminated. I am confident that Camp Bighorn is truly where God is guiding our family and I am thankful that Eric didn't listen to me and felt so strongly that God was guiding us to Bighorn even though I didn't/ didn't want to see it!
I support Eric 110% on us going to Camp Bighorn and serving Him through Camp and whatever church we end up getting involved in. God is guiding us there to make an impact for Him there. I love the Great Lakes but I love being in God's will so much more! When we are in God's will everything will be in the place and God will work out everything for good (Romans 8:28).
I'm excited to serve God in Montana, excited to raise our kids in a healthy camp environment in a place that God has specifically led us to!
I encourage my fellow sisters whether single, married, married with kids or not to stop believing the lies our society encourages. Be in the Word daily (Romans 12:2), look to God rather than men (Acts 5:29), and remember Romans 8:28 that God will work all things out for good to those that love Him!
Some books I highly recommend are:
Every Woman's Battle by Shannon Ethridge
Every Woman's Marriage by Shannon Ethridge
Jonah by Priscilla Shirer
Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Liberated through Submission by P.B. Bunny Wilson
I am sure there are plenty of other books out there, but if there is a study book available with the book then get it, the study book is SO helpful as a companion to whatever book you happen to read!
Well, time to get going for now. I hope to expound later and go into better detail, this really covered the tip of the iceberg but I hope you can do some reading and be encouraged as I was!
<3 KT <3
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