Good evening! For the next 28 days, I will be on a mission trip to Vietnam. During that time, I will have new blogs each night from guest authors! (Also, on many nights, I will post pictures from my trip here!) For the next 26 evenings, my spot will be filled by my dear sister in Christ, Trina Agee Cornell! Trina and I went through many mission trips together and I have been a guest in Trina's and her husband, Bob's home. Please keep me in your prayers!
Question #13
I spent an afternoon at Barnes and Noble a few months ago – this is a place where I could spend hours upon hours. As a reading specialist by trade – and a reader by nature – it makes sense. On this particular trip, I found a book, tucked away with the journals in their display, called 3,000 Questions About Me. I opened it and started thumbing through – and I have to admit, I was quite intrigued. I started looking through the questions, thinking about what my responses would be. I knew I just had to get it – the book sat at my house for a month, collecting dust. I finally pulled it out and decided to answer one page of questions a day. 3,000 questions can be overwhelming – but how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! As I answer my page of questions each day, I read the question – and I put what immediately comes to mind. I do not overthink them – I answer them honestly and openly. My series of blog posts will focus on certain questions that I believe get to the core of who I am – as a wife, mother, and a child of God.
13. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
When I read this question, it did not take me long to answer it. My response to this question was two-fold: the Lord first, Bob second. Simple words, yet so profound in meaning.
I came to know the Lord through the example and teaching of my parents. They made sure to demonstrate the ways in which a life lived for the Lord through their actions, words, and deeds. I saw them read their Bibles – I watched the ways in which they treated others – and I knew that I wanted my own relationship with the Lord. I became a Christian the summer before my 8th grade year – in July of 1997. Since that day, life has been quite a journey – one that has lead me to a number of places, with twists and turns I could never have imagined. The Lord has proven Himself faithful with each step I take – I have no reason to doubt Him, because I know He is with me – guiding me with His loving hand.
Bob and I met in the most unconventional of ways. I lived in Arkansas at the time, and I had made the decision to move back home to Tennessee to be closer to my family. I had resigned my teaching position and in the process of making plans to relocate. My mother stumbled across a website called “church of Christ Singles” – she had met a young couple at their church that had met through the website and married. She encouraged me to give it a try, saying, “What do you have to lose?” I joined the site for three months – less than a week before my membership expired, I received a “wink” from a guy with the username, “bobstl” – and as they say, the rest is history.
Bob and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary this June – my love for him grows by the day. I knew he would be a great “daddy” back then – but watching him with our son, he has far exceeded every expectation I could ever have. We have had our ups and downs – our hills and valleys – yet we have remained strong. We are committed to each other – and to our marriage. We both love the Lord first – and it is this love that creates the foundation for our life together. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Lord says that, “Two are better than one, for they have a good return for their labor” (4:9). Later on, in this same passage, He says, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken” (4:12). Bob and I have braided our lives together with the Lord – the greatest love we will ever know.
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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