Jehovah Tdsnikki! No, you won’t find it in the Scriptures, but you can’t walk with God long and not know that he often sneaks up on you. This season of our lives had totally taken Sara and me by surprise, first in the confusion and pain it brought, and then in the greater joy and freedom it has since produced. The work continues to unfold and getting a bit clearer, but I’m still giving it plenty of space at this time in my life and kicking other projects down the road.
I appreciate those who have written words of encouragement, prayed for us, and even those who didn’t write so my email load would not be so great. The two weeks we spent together in France and Ireland (pictured at left) were incredibly healing and refreshing, especially the three days we had all to ourselves in Paris. We’ve never had more fun together, never talked more deeply and casually together, and never loved each other quite this way before. It has surprised us in ways we can’t fully express. We thought our marriage had been such a joy all along, but the last few weeks has exceeded anything we could have dreamed of. It’s as if we went through a cave and discovered a whole new country we never knew existed. And it is a wild and wonderful place!
I’m sure we’ll talk more some day about the details. This hasn’t been so much a lesson in marriage, but God peeling back another layer of Sara’s life and through it challenging me to love her differently. I’m pretty sure that whenever one spouse goes through a season of change at God’s hand, the other has to change as well to make room for it. If not you’ll find yourselves growing apart instead of traveling together. Fortunately Jesus is showing us how to traverse this new land together, which has allowed me to be inside Sara’s heart in a way I’ve not been before, and in a way she never knew she wanted or needed. There is a lot of hard work going on here, especially in my beloved, but the early fruits of that has already delighted us both.
We have found our way into a different kind of loving that has revolutionized our relationship and already brings us great joy. We will talk about it some day when Sara is ready, but for now we are still learning the joy of living it. It has made me even more excited about God’s ability to keep walking us into wholeness and for our life together to continue to be a place of discovery, growth, and change. It reminds me that God is not interested in giving us a placid life to make us comfortable, but to continue to draw us more deeply into the reality of his life and his way of loving. He is far more interested in shaping us than he is making our circumstances peaceful
I’m glad to still be learning. I’m blessed that God had more joy for us yet in this unfolding journey, even if the gateways into that are painful and disorienting.
He rarely does things the way I want, or in the time frames I might enjoy. But he does do all things well!
Right on Wayne and Sara, this fabulous
Howard
Hello Wayne and Sara,
It is wonderful to see what God is doing in your lives through difficulty and the fruit of that which is sweet and unexpected. You have such a gift of explaining your experiences and enriching the lives of others. You have been a blessing to me. I actually feel like I’m connecting to the God of the universe in the simple everyday affairs. Trials and circumstances become opportunities to draw closer to God and watch him bring to fruition whatever I am going through. I enjoy your website, podcasts, books and other material. It has opened up a whole new world of what God is all about and our purpose here. Here is a quote from “In Season”, “Fruit is not measured in acts of power we participated in, the numbers of people we touched, nor the acclaim we received from others. In the end all of that is meaningless. Fruit is measured by the transformation of character that can only arise out of a meaningful relationship with Jesus.”
That is most precious to me. It gives meaning to what we are truly here for.
Thank you so much for sharing your lives with us and my thoughts and prayers are with you as you continue this part of your journey.
Tina
Right on Wayne and Sara, this fabulous
Howard
Hello Wayne and Sara,
It is wonderful to see what God is doing in your lives through difficulty and the fruit of that which is sweet and unexpected. You have such a gift of explaining your experiences and enriching the lives of others. You have been a blessing to me. I actually feel like I’m connecting to the God of the universe in the simple everyday affairs. Trials and circumstances become opportunities to draw closer to God and watch him bring to fruition whatever I am going through. I enjoy your website, podcasts, books and other material. It has opened up a whole new world of what God is all about and our purpose here. Here is a quote from “In Season”, “Fruit is not measured in acts of power we participated in, the numbers of people we touched, nor the acclaim we received from others. In the end all of that is meaningless. Fruit is measured by the transformation of character that can only arise out of a meaningful relationship with Jesus.”
That is most precious to me. It gives meaning to what we are truly here for.
Thank you so much for sharing your lives with us and my thoughts and prayers are with you as you continue this part of your journey.
Tina
Thank you for your transparency, it is so refreshing. I love reading your blogs and listening to your podcasts. My husband & I are walking this new journey together and loving the freedom we are discovering. Since reading ‘He loves me’ I know my heart is being softened. I have been praying for our marriage for many years and there has been so much hurt and pain but I know I need to let the Holy Spirit have His way more in the healing process. It’s hard to open up your heart and risk being wounded again ….
I am continuing to pray for you and Sara, it is so beautiful to hear what is happening in your lives right now. It gives me hope:)
Jill
Thank you for your transparency, it is so refreshing. I love reading your blogs and listening to your podcasts. My husband & I are walking this new journey together and loving the freedom we are discovering. Since reading ‘He loves me’ I know my heart is being softened. I have been praying for our marriage for many years and there has been so much hurt and pain but I know I need to let the Holy Spirit have His way more in the healing process. It’s hard to open up your heart and risk being wounded again ….
I am continuing to pray for you and Sara, it is so beautiful to hear what is happening in your lives right now. It gives me hope:)
Jill
Your picture is beautiful and says so much. So encouraging!
Your picture is beautiful and says so much. So encouraging!
Very encouraging. God is good!
Very encouraging. God is good!
I find it so interesting the way God brings us into our next layer of healing as we simply rest in Him. And in the process deepen our relationships and our love of his absolute wisdom in knowing just how to heal us and in the right timing. Not too early and not too late. It is like peeling back an artichoke to get to the center of ourselves. He never leaves one hidden part of our lives unturned. But He is such a gentleman and never hurts or embarrasses us…….praying for you both!!
I find it so interesting the way God brings us into our next layer of healing as we simply rest in Him. And in the process deepen our relationships and our love of his absolute wisdom in knowing just how to heal us and in the right timing. Not too early and not too late. It is like peeling back an artichoke to get to the center of ourselves. He never leaves one hidden part of our lives unturned. But He is such a gentleman and never hurts or embarrasses us…….praying for you both!!