Welcome to the Saturday gallery of glory!
Today’s post is a tribute to a dear soul in my life. How can I label her? It’s difficult to find just the right words. I met her when she was 15, I think, while shopping at a local grocery store. Those who know my effusive personality know that I talk to EVERYONE (at least when I’m not in the throws of depression!) so I’m sure I struck up a conversation with Hanna in the check-out line.
From there at Piggly Wiggly, she came to our farm where I held the lead line while she rode one of our horses. I sensed her love of God and offered to meet with her regularly—studying God’s word, praying together, sharing life together.
THANK GOD, we’ve NEVER done superficial (which we both abhor!). We dig deep into God, His word, and into each other. We PRAY for each other. And, oh, what God has grown in each of us through the years! AMAZING!
I can’t express how grateful I am for all the gifts God has showered on me throughout my life! Yes, I write much about pain and loss. Even these are gifts. Hard gifts. Pain and loss are gifts because God uses them to GROW us into GLORY. God grows us into BETTER, STRONGER in HIM. There is nothing as freeing as DYING to SELF and being BORN AGAIN in GOD!
Hanna knows something of dying.
As a young child, Hanna lost her dear father to AIDS—a hemophiliac who received a tainted blood transfusion. A hemophiliac herself, she knows of physical vulnerability. She knows of emotional and spiritual vulnerability also. Yet, Hanna is STRONG in Jesus!
I praise God for Hanna’s strength and weakness in my life. With God, the young hold up the old—the old help the young—the weak are the strong when the strong are the weak.
All glory to God!
Always!
Hanna is my “daughter in Christ” who has become a “soul mate” who challenges me as much as I challenge her. She supports me as much as I support her. We are grounded in the TRUTH—the ABSOLUTE TRUTH—of God’s word. And though our flesh sometimes shakes in fear, we spur one another on with words of encouragement—with words of TRUTH.
Meet Hanna today.
I assure you that our world is in good hands with souls as sold out to Jesus as this young woman—fearless in standing for God’s truth and God’s ways in the midst of our current cultural climate where even Christians are compromising. For example . . .
Want to know WHY you should marry only a true Christian, if you’re a true Christian? Want to know WHY you should wait till your wedding night?
Oh my!
You should listen to this gorgeous, classy, extremely intelligent, articulate, college-educated, professional young woman who knows WHY waiting on God and living HIS way is the ONLY way to live a TRUE LIFE—an ABUNDANT LIFE!
I love you Hanna! I wish the whole world knew you as I do!
Someday, my dear!
Someday, all in Jesus will know you!
And they will ALL be BLESSED beyond belief! Just as I am now!
