For some time we simply taught our children about God in our home. My husband and I agreed that until (if ever) we could find a solid place to worship this would be the best route. I would say that we lost faith in religion around the time we left that church. I felt bad about our daughter’s confusion, guilty that it was somehow my fault (mommy guilt….there’s always something mom’s feel guilty about) and torn as to whether we did the right thing in leaving. Mike was bitter and wanted nothing to do with ANY church. I tried to tell him that we’d find a decent place but truthfully I wasn’t so sure we would. Fast forward to last summer…A mom from my twins pre-school contacted me to photograph her children. Since we both have a daughter the same age, we had a play date at the mall some time later. Casually, over lunch Lori (*guest-starring in my blog*) mentioned going to church. I aggressively peppered her with questions about what kind of church she went to, where it met, what it was like, etc. I’m sure she must’ve thought I was crazy with all the interest I showed but she invited my kids to VBS anyway and I somehow convinced Mike to try the place out before we agreed to send the kids. It was no easy feat to get Mike to church those first few Sundays, I nearly had to drag him but in time we found our home at Crossroads and more importantly we found our way back to God. Now he (Mike) harps on the rest of us to hurry up on Sunday mornings. I’ve often wondered and even agonized about our experience at the last church we attended. What good can come from a “bad religion” experience? I thought it was just one of those things that didn’t make any sense, until recently. Having gone through that helps us to appreciate the place we’ve found so much more. And we DO appreciate Crossroads. In this world, it is such a blessing to have the opportunity to worship God with so many wonderful people. And the mommy-guilt, well any mom can tell you there will always be something to feel guilty about… but I no longer feel guilty for choosing to leave “that church”. Last winter, I asked my 9 year old daughter if she ever got weepy during the children’s worship services at Crossroads. She exclaimed, “How did you KNOW??” I smiled at her and told her it happens to me in church too. I told her it never, not even once happened at our last church. She smiled at me and said she now understood why we couldn’t stay there. I thank God for her understanding and for His wisdom and guidance.
Awww, I feel special to be a “guest star”. On a serious note, though, that experience, in my opinion is a clear indication that God works in our lives when we least expect it and sometimes in the most unusual ways. Who could have known that that “fateful” day was going to create so many blessings in both our lives. I love ya, my friend!
I appreciate you and i especially appreciate Abbey when she gets teary eyed over “Your Love is Deep”! She is a pretty fantastic kid as well as Chloe and Jacob..