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My testimony drastically changed a couple of years ago. A couple of weeks ago I had to share my testimony for our Women's Ministry Kick Off. I had not even thought about sharing my testimony with anyone since it changed. However, God laid it upon my heart that it was time for me to share it. I felt kind of like Moses did when God called Him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and had many arguments with God about how I wasn't ready to speak about all that had happened, how the people I was to share my testimony with weren't ready to hear it, etc, etc. I slowly realized that God was not going to back down and I was going to be giving my testimony whether I wanted to or not. After I'd agreed to share my testimony, I tossed and turned all night for several nights (and all day long) debating on whether I should leave parts of my testimony out. After all, these women I was about to share my testimony with had just met me and I was hoping to be friends with them, not scare them off and have them never want to talk to me again! God reminded me that my testimony is a testimony of His unconditional love for His children and how He can forgive anyone if we just ask for His forgiveness. He also convicted me that HE was the one who wrote my testimony and that He had a purpose for giving me the testimony He gave me and that He was going to use me to minister to others through my testimony. Since I shared my testimony a couple of weeks ago at the Women's Ministry meeting, I have had the opportunity to share it a couple more times to help others through some things they are going through, and I feel like God wants me to share it on my blog as well. So bear with me as I do my best to pour out my heart and take you on the journey of my life for the past couple of years and what God has done all throughout that journey.
Up until a couple of years ago, I had what I consider to be the "typical" testimony from someone who grew up in a Christian home. I grew up in a Christian home, was in church most of the time the doors were open, and always attended VBS (vacation bible school) if not multiple VBS's. I went to VBS at my Grandmother's church, I believe it was my 5th grade year. For whatever reason, everything just seemed to click that year, and I realized that I needed Jesus Christ in my heart. I remember praying in a corner for Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins and that I knew He'd died on the cross and rose again three days later so that He could save me from my sins. I went home and proudly told my Grandma, then told my parents, then we talked with my pastor, then I was baptized, and then I went about living my life. Since I was so young, there was no drastic change. I remained faithful in going to church, however, I was what I would consider a very luke warm Christian. I would do my bible study when I had time or was going through a tough situation, but I did not have a regular daily time that I spent in God's Word or talking to Him.
Fast forward several years, and God brought Jarod into my life in 2001. I remember when I met Him thinking what a wonderful Godly man He was and how He was like someone I would want to marry, and my friend even told me that I would marry him one day! Jarod and I remained friends for several years and officially started dating in 2004. We had a great relationship and got engaged in 2006 and married in 2007. For whatever reason, it was like a switch flipped for Jarod and I almost as soon as we said "I do." We began growing more and more distant and probably had the hardest first couple of years of marriage of anyone I know. I know now the reason we struggled so much is because we did not have God at the center of our relationship. God is the glue that holds a marriage together...without Him at the center, you can struggle and make things work, and possibly even have what you consider to be a great marriage, but things will never be as great as they could be with God at the center. Jarod and I were both Christians, but when He was on fire for God, I was in a valley and vice versa, and we'd just never developed a good healthy relationship with God TOGETHER, it was always our own personal relationships with God. This took its tolls on us and our marriage until I finally fell into Satan's trap and had an affair. Jarod found out, confronted me about it, and when I told him I wasn't sure what I wanted, he told me to get out. I moved in with my Mom and her boyfriend in a 28 ft travel trailer. Let's just say, I thought I had hit rock bottom until I went to work the next day and found out that my hours were being cut, meaning there was no way I'd be able to afford to get anything on my own. THAT'S when I KNEW I had hit rock bottom!
At this point, I had no where to look but up and when I looked up I saw my Father leaning down with his arms wide open to pick me up and love on me like any good Father would do when their child is struggling. I crawled up in His lap and rested there. I began having a constant conversation with Him, I read my Bible any and every chance I got, and I started only listening to a Christian radio station. I remember one morning on my way to work, God speaking to me clearer than He ever has and telling me that Jarod AND I were going to move to Brookhaven. I just kind of laughed and figured I must have heard Him wrong because Jarod and I weren't even living together and hadn't spoken a whole lot since we separated. (I also laughed because I'd always been adamant about how I would never move to Brookhaven until I retired, IF I moved then) God confirmed that I did hear Him right and began changing my heart and slowly opening up lines of communication between Jarod and I. We both decided that we weren't willing to give up without a fight as neither of us really believed in divorce, so we began going to counseling. God brought us both back to Him and we began putting Him first in our marriage. Our marriage has never been stronger and I've never been more in love with my husband than I am now.
God has been with us every step of the process in our move to Brookhaven as well, even though it hasn't always seemed like it. Once Jarod and I were back together we immediately began working to get our house ready to sell and looking for something to buy in Brookhaven. We finally found a house and put an offer on it around Thanksgiving of 2009 and put our house on the market immediately after that. The contract ran out on the house before we got a contract on our house. We finally got a contract on our house and went to put another offer on the house in Brookhaven we'd found, but they'd gotten another contract the day before. This ended up being best as the girl backed out of buying our house the day of closing. Due to this, we'd already moved in with Jarod's parents in Brookhaven and put all our stuff in storage. We began searching for a church and found the perfect one, Heucks Retreat Baptist Church. We relisted our house with a new agent and got a contract within a week of it being back on the market. A couple of weeks before closing, God completely changed my heart again and told me that He wanted us to put a house on some of Jarod's family land (again, this was something I was adamantly against, but God changed my mind in a matter of 3 days from being adamantly against it to absolutely loving the idea). We proceeded with getting the land deeded over to us and buying a mobile home (which we just moved into)! God has been with us every step of the process, from getting a better deal on the house than we should have, getting a deal on the dirt work, getting a deal on the dirt, things happening quicker than expected, etc. It has been VERY evident that we are right where God wants us to be. I look forward to seeing how God continues to build and shape my testimony!
If you or someone you know is dealing with an affair or pending divorce and would like to talk, please feel free to contact me at jarodandkatie@gmail.com. I will gladly offer a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or any advice I can give. Also, please contact me if you do not know Jesus Christ and would like to know more about Him and what He can do for you!
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