Truth Comes a Little at a Time

there's a country song on the radio these days which has the lyrics:'truth comes a little at a time'.

when i was young, i devoured the bible for truth. i wanted to be holy, righteous, live in accordance with all of God's word, and memorize any verse which may have meaning to me. at the time i had friends who dove into the Bible head first - expecting God to truly move mountains. and we saw some amazing transformations. God moved in our little group of people. it's interesting  looking back at those people who have scattered across our nation.

but each of us have gone our own ways. some are still involved in small groups. some are having affairs. some drink too much. some cuss too much. some are parents. some are married. some remain single. some of those who are married wish to be single. it's very interesting how life changing people.

but thru it all, truth remains. i believe that each of us remember those days in our youth when we sought after the Living God. we deeply desired the Living Water. We needed each other to drink from the fountain of life. We tested each other. We sinned together. Other times we kept each other from sinning. We played and worked together. We traveled together down life's crazy road. Even when things get crazy in my life now, those are the people i look to for comfort and truth.

and truth comes from them. they are brutally honest. they have my best interest in mind. they desire to see me grow and thrive during this life on earth. we trust each other's advice.

i miss that group of people. i miss the community of sharing what God is teaching. i miss being challenged to dig into God's word. i miss having a great fear of not doing what the God desires of me. miss getting up early in the morning and writing out my prayers. miss praying with fervor for those whom i feared were not traveling in God's favor. i miss the accountability of people asking what God has been trying to get me to do. that's where God's truth sinks into my soul.

it's the advent season, and i'm missing being part of a church which recognizes advent. here's some advent devotionals.

yet i see God moving in different areas of my life. i see it in my relationship with my husband. it's been nearly exactly 2 years since i met Troy for the first time at his church. we definitely had some ups and downs, yet we've both grown to trust each other. it has been an interesting second year, to say the least. some truths have some out, and some of them hurt, yet they've made us stronger as a couple. Troy is an amazing husband who is caring, kind, generous, humorous, adventurous, and devoted.

i saw truth in the eyes of the Kenyan children, dancing and singing to their Savior. that one is a double-edged sword for me. i left my heart in tanzania, so when i see anything which resembles the dream of living there, i feel a great burden for afrikans who are the lost, the needy, the broken, the bitter and the soft. one day i hope to return to visit, but i'm waiting on God's timing for that one.

been having some wonderful conversations with a friend of mine whose in her twenties. those were some challenging years for me. being single and wishing i was somewhere other than i was. my heart wanted to be africa. i was in georgia, usa. i desired to be married, without having all that commitment of marriage. head full of dreams and no means of accomplishing them. somewhat had the feeling of hopelessness. somewhat of uselessness. somewhat of oddness. yet my friends pulled me along. they didn't allow me to relish in that pity party too long. they had me traveling all around the country. i love traveling. i got out of debt during that time, too.

and here's a run down of my thirties:
30 - moved to africa
31 - got married/became a step-mom
32 - got pregnant
33 - having a baby

so we'll see what truth comes out of the coming year.