"Deep Thoughts" not by Jack Handy

In my bible study group yesterday someone asked if there was any one person in your life that really pushed you closer to God, a deeper relationship with Him. As several people shared in our group I couldn't help think about the many people God has put in my life like this. I couldn't come up with just one.

A friend of mine, M comes to mind first. She really got me on a path to go deeper. She invited me to this bible study group that meets every Tuesday at my church. She not only invited me, but encouraged me as well. There were many excuses, many days I didn't want to go. I had just had K so, I had a 3 year old and a newborn and I think it rained every Tuesday for a while. Any mother out there knows that holding a hand of a 3 yr old and carrying a baby in another, leaves no other hands for an umbrella! I was so discouraged every Tuesday that I saw it was raining, but because M was encouraging me, I did it anyway..somehow. Eventually it did not rain every Tuesday, and I was so glad I had overcome that obstacle. Now, 4 and a half years later, I am still meeting with the same group of women every Tuesday. What a blessing this has been in my life. So thanks M for being a very good friend to me!

On the family side, my brother is a pastor. Need I say more?...No seriously, he has always shown such passion and a wealth of knowledge about the Bible that it makes you want to know what he knows (partly so you can understand what he is talking about!). He has shown such faithfulness to God at times I don't know if most people would have. Again, his passion, his knowledge, his faith..it's overwhelming. But I think the thing that I am most impressed with is the fact that he is just a "regular guy" (of course, I know). He's fun, he's not judgemental, he's humble, and he is just my brother (not a pastor) most of the time. I like that he is like this and I think seeing him be this way all of his life, has shown me what a Christian is...someone who loves the Lord, seeks knowledge, digging deeper, but not perfect by any means(sorry, S,you really aren't perfect)--Only kidding-- He does know this.

And although there are many people that have pushed me in the right direction, above all, I have to say my mother has the most. She just has always shown me that you can have an intimate relationship with God. That through anything you are going through, you should go to God in prayer. She has done this over the years by example. I remember calling her from college in tears, devastated after my boyfriend broke up with me (who now happens to be my husband!) and she would just pray for me over the phone and it always made me feel better. (I say always, because we broke up a lot in the 4 years in college). Another example of her doing this is her praying with me every time before I went in for my c-sections. She waited until the last moment, right before they wheeled me in the operating room, and just bent down and whispered a prayer for me in my ear. It's that relationship she has had with God over the years that have shown me He is always there for us...He is with us ALL the time. I am reminded of Beth Moore's title of her book, Believing God...It's not only about believing IN God, it's BELIEVING God. I think my Mom did a good job over the years showing me that she believes God, not just believes in God.

Well, that was a sort of deep post. I promise I'll try to make them a little lighter over the next few days. Guess I was just feeling a little sappy today. I hope I made anyone reading out there think about who this person is in your life. If you know, maybe you should share it with them. It's always nice to know you made a difference in someone's life.