As we live our lives, certain dates become quite important to us. Special days hold significance to us for a variety of reasons – experiences are shared, and memories are made.
In my family, birthdays were always a special time. My birthday is in the summertime; for me, this meant pool parties, skating rinks, and fun times with friends. Growing up, my parents and sisters would give me gifts, and I would choose a place for us to eat dinner. My family went out of their way to make sure my sisters and I felt special on our birthdays – a tradition we continue to carry on today.
November 4, 2010 – My husband-to-be, Bob, and I met in Searcy, Arkansas, for Homecoming at Harding University – but also for a run. Bob had signed up for a full marathon in Wynne to complete while we were there. Early Saturday morning, Bob began his run – while he ran, I visited with some friends. When he completed his race, we went to Harding’s campus to walk around. We found one of the white swings and decided to sit. Bob, out of the blue, asked me if I was happy. I replied with an emphatic “yes”. He then said, “Would you like to be happier?” With this, he stood up slowly, sore from his run, turned around, and got down on one knee. He then asked me to marry him, with the disclaimer: “I hope you say ‘yes,’ because I need help getting up from this position!” Needless to say, I helped him up, and we were officially engaged – a day we will never forget.
August 4, 2017 – Our lives forever changed on this special day. Almost a year ago – ten and a half months, to be exact – Bob and I became parents to our little boy, Connor Michael. He has grown so much since this day – they say the days are long, but the years are short, and I am inclined to agree. This little boy has taught us tremendous lessons in joy, patience, perseverance – and above all, love. We never knew we could love so deeply – so purely. We thank the Lord for him daily – we are blessed beyond measure.
June 11, 2018 – Bob and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary this June. It feels like yesterday that we were beginning our lives together. On a recent vacation, we spent some time reminiscing about the past seven years and how far we have come. We have been through moves, job changes, vacations, family events, and now, parenthood. We enjoyed looking back at the past seven years, but more importantly, we enjoy dreaming about the future – and what the Lord has in store for us
All of these dates hold a very special place in my life…but one date stands out above them all.
July 30, 1997 – It was a Wednesday; I was going into the 8th grade and working as a nanny for the summer. I spent all day with the children, with my mother taking us to the community pool. I had a nagging feeling in my mind – something I could not shake. I mulled it over and pondered it all day, but I could not get it out of my mind. I had witnessed some of my friends from church make some important decisions, and I was on the verge of one of my own. After I finished my day, my mother took me home – I finally approached her with what was on my mind – “Mom, I think I am ready to be baptized.” My parents had taught me right from wrong – but more importantly, they taught me about the Lord. It was arranged for me to take this step that night after church. The preacher took my confession, and my father baptized me into Christ.
Ever since this special day, I have striven to live a life worthy of our Lord. It has not been easy, and I am nowhere near perfect, but it has been the best decision I have ever made. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” We are new creations in Christ when we become one of His children – He knows we are not perfect – He knows we will make mistakes – but we have faith that He will forgive us, and keep us as his own.
It is a good thing to celebrate anniversaries – especially the one that will continue to change your life!
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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