Friends Come in Different Forms

I read a story recently about a woman and her dad. Her dad was grumpy after his wife passed away and it caused friction between him and his daughter. Then his grumpiness caused problems between his daughter's husband and her. It was a mess. To make a long story short, the man was given a dog and the dog became his best friend until their last breath.
My husband is my best friend and I can share most everything with him. However, girls just seem to understand the womanly things of a woman as a man probably understands a man better. My friend Judy is no exception. I have friends who make me laugh, but Judy and I can sing the first three notes of a song and just laugh at our age difference or change the lyrics of the song and just have a belly laugh. She and I don't have too many different opinions but she is quick to tell me when I am wrong about something.
Judy is quick to lend a hand if she can and willing to step into a leadership role if needed.
Recently she and her sister, Joni, opened their home up to me and Rodney to hold our wedding on their parent's water front property. It is a beautiful place even with the smoke stacks across the water. The day was sunshine all the way. I knew the Lord was going to provide the perfect weather for it and my friends wanted me to set up an alternate location if it rained. I kept telling them that the Lord has chosen their place and he'll provide the right weather for it. Needless to say, he did.
I love my friends Judy and Joni. They both had the willingness to open their home up to my brothers and sisters for our wedding celebration was a huge act of love and kindness that I will treasure forever. I didn't realize how difficult it was for them on some levels until afterwards or just up to the hour of the festivities. I know God was not surprised and that comforts me. It was truly a huge act on their part and I want to thank them publicly and this is the best way I know how.
There were some comments on how beautiful the property was, the view was magnificent, and the day was a joy to many. I owe these wonderful comments first to my Papa for creating such a beautiful place and to Judy for offering it when I was contemplating where to have the party.
Judy bug, you are so very much loved, appreciated, and prayed for. I am your friend and I only want what is best for you. May the Lord richly bless you and keep you until he calls you home.
Jesus says in Proverbs 17:17 "a friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need."
From a dog like my Sadie to my husband and friend Judy, it is true that friends come in different forms.

Judy is that friend that shows up in time of need and as I grow to know her sister Joni, I find this to be true of them both.

Thank you for being my friend and being so special.

~Marjorie

What a Woman Should Be....

Today feels like the beginning of a new life. Although Rodney and I have been married since January 28^th, it wasn’t until yesterday; April 7^th that this unity has truly begun.

If you have read my previous blogs, you would probably recognize the heart aches I have shared and the low points of my life.  I was taught a saying a few years ago that I wrote on my heart and it is that a woman should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to go through Him to get to her.

I can honestly say that I was hidden in Christ…completely. I pressed into his covering however I did not complete trust him until one day I surrendered completely, totally, and transparently to Jesus Christ. I didn’t want anything to do with a relationship except to be my all in all with Christ.  I wanted to work for Christ, play for Christ, and experience ONLY Christ. Focus completely on Him regardless of what happens.

Once I surrendered to the LORD, he opened a window that lead me to the man I am now completely and totally committed to; Rodney. Yet, Rodney had to go Jesus Christ to ask for me. Rodney, too, had to surrender completely, totally, and transparently to Jesus Christ in order for the LORD to present me to him.  

Now, we’ve experienced our trials and some tribulations and what we know to be true is that Christ will see us through on the other side of the hurdle.

We shared our transformation with our family on Saturday April 7^th and it was a taste of heaven for me. I hope it was the same for those that attended also.

I truly felt like a “Princess of the Most High God.”  I felt I was being presented to Rodney as I was on January 28^th but it was an invitation to our brothers and sisters to join us in our journey, to thank God for the great thing He has done in us, through us, and most importantly for us just because He loves us.

This morning I woke up filled with a joy that was overwhelming and so much so that I was in tears. Rodney and I talked and we feel the same way. We dreamed of a complete love like this, a unity of this kind, but had not experienced it….until now. My cup runneth over.

I strongly suggest to you my sisters to press into the LORD and be so hidden in his word, write his words on your hearts and most importantly allow Him to change you from the inside out.

I shared this truth with two girls friends the other day and I feel lead to share it with you.

I want to be all that God calls me to be as a woman. I therefore looked up what his word says about that. I found that a woman needs to be a daughter. God is our Father; therefore we ought to press into being HIS daughter.

The word tells us to be a “wise woman.” Therefore we ought to pursue his wisdom; his ways. We ought to pay close attention to how we dress and speak how we present ourselves to one another and to the male gender. What does the male gender see?

We ought to be wise in our decisions and think before we act. This just might save us a lot of heartache we place upon ourselves.

Last we are called to a wife. Just as God presented a helper and wife named Eve to Adam in the establishment of marriage, we too are made to be a man’s helper and wife. Gen 2:18  Later, the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a companion that is a suitable match for him.” Though we may have to go through molding and shaping by God he will completely transform us to be a match for someone HIS else.

I am not a perfect woman, I do not have all the answers on how this is to happen, but I am striving to be the best woman, wife, and friend to the man God has matched me with.   Ahhhhhhh!

 ~We are loved by a perfect God.