My Spiritual Journey

   I am the closest to God now that I have ever been. It's taken time, faith, patience, prayers, and going down the wrong path at times to get here. After a lot of thinking and praying, I've decided it's time to write about this amazing journey. Like all of my blogs, I don't really care who reads them, they are mainly for me but I share them (well, most of them) to let others in. 
   I was born and raised in a Christian home, went to church on a regular basis, went to a private Lutheran school, and have always known that Jesus is my savior! Does that mean that I've always done the right things? Absolutely not.
I have sinned, every one of us do all the time. Those who say they don't are not only not being honest with themselves and others, they aren't being honest with God. I stopped going to church for a while. I wouldn't talk about my love for God around friends because I knew they either didn't believe or I wouldn't have "fit in". I explored a different religion that I soon found out wasn't for me. I won't say which one that was because It's not my place to say they're right or wrong, but it wasn't what I believe in.
  When I was in high school, one of my favorite teachers and I were talking and she told me about the church that she went to. I tried it out and loved it. I went there for a few years, participated in the youth department helping out, and loved the church family that I had. I just knew that I was going to marry someone who had a similar background and things would be perfect. I was wrong, and I'm glad I was. Wayne never went to church while growing up. He said yes the first time I asked him to go with me and he's been going ever since.  We moved to South Carolina and found the most amazing church! We started going to a young adult night, we went to the first young marrieds group that was there, we'd be there every Sunday, we prayed and read the Bible, but it wasn't enough. All three of our daughters were all baptized and know that God loves them, but aside from dinner and bedtime prayers, we didn't talk about Him. I felt something missing, it was almost like going through the motions without the emotions behind it. Don't get me wrong, we loved everything about it all, but I still felt empty. I found out later why. Don't worry, we'll get to that part!
   When we moved from SC to VA, nothing was the same. We had a few friends who moved with us, we met new ones there, but never found a church we couldn't wait to go to. That's when I felt the most lost. I still prayed, listened to Christian music, and loved God, but that's where it ended. I would let myself get stressed out way more than I needed to over everything. Why? Because I wasn't allowing God into my whole life.
   Ok, now for the best part..... I feel complete and no longer empty!!! We are back at the church that we LOVE! We have amazing friends, true friends, who are our church family. The girls all love going into their classes, singing praise songs all the time, praying, and we talk about everything God does all the time. Wayne and I are now there on Sundays, Tuesdays for the young adult class, Wayne's playing with the church softball team, we go to the young marrieds group, and I go to MOPS. Does that make everything right and us good people? Not exactly. Yes, it's great that we are getting so involved. That's what God wants, but He wants more than that too. He wants a personal relationship with us all. 
We've seen God really start working more in our family! Wayne's leading prayers at home, we're talking about the lessons we've been talking about in all of our classes and services all throughout the week and making them part of our lives, we're talking about what holidays (i.e. Easter and Christmas even palm Sunday) are about with the girls. My parents have found their first church home in a few years (we had a great one, but after a few pastoral changes in very little time, it wasn't the same to us). Hearing them talk about it is amazing to me!
  I'm reading the Bible and several Christian books and trying to better my relationship with God. Every single person has to work at that everyday. I'm praying and living my life the way God wants me to. It's great to know that I'm whole again because MY GOD LOVES ME!!! God loves you too.. How amazing is that? Seriously, GOD LOVES YOU!!!