Out of your comfort...

I love how God will purposely put you in situations to get you out of your comfort zone. Often I get asked things where I would quickly say no but I can feel God tugging at my heart to say yes. It is a learning process but I am trying to say yes. For example, a few months ago at church a friend of mind approached me and asked if I could pray for his girlfriend for healing. My go to would have been sure, I will pray for her when I get home type of thing. But at that moment, I knew he meant right here right now so I went and prayed for my friend. Seems simple enough right. Probably not a big deal to most but when you are a shy person and the words don't always come easy, it is easy to let your mind get filled with doubts and lies. So I am learning to say yes, even though I really would rather not lol. More recently, my husband came home a few days ago with an idea. He started off by saying "I know you will say no but Matt and I were talking and we should share our testimony to the youth group next week". He was right, I said no but then I said yes because I knew that is what God wanted. So last night, we got to spend the evening with a bunch of great young people on fire for Jesus and it was awesome! Although I was really nervous and chocked up a few times (anyone who knows me, knows I am emotional lol) I am thankful to God for this opportunity! Here is what I shared. "Hi Everyone, For those who don’t know us.. my name is Nancy, and this is my husband Nick. I am not one to talk in front of others but when I was asked to share my testimony, God nudged at my heart, and I agreed. And ill tell you the reason why a little later.

Most of you have been Christian for a lot longer than we have been. You are probably a lot wiser too. 😊 God saved us in May 2020. Its been 3 years this month. But when we look at our whole lives, we can see God’s hand over everything. So let me talk a bit about my life before my Jesus encounter. And then Nick can share a bit about his life too. So, I grew up in a little town close to Bathurst. I never really lived a rebelled life until I moved out. I went to a catholic church not by my choice. They never really taught that you can have a relationship with Jesus. Then at age 19. I moved to Moncton and never looked back. When I moved away I felt a new sense of freedom. Being away from my family and all. So I started drinking and partying a lot. 4 to 5 times a week.. I did that for many years. I would get home and black out from how drunk I was. I put myself in situation where things could of gone really bad. I had no idea what I wanted. I was so lost, living my life for myself. Trying to fill a void that I had with alcohal and God knows what else.

Nick can talk about his life before Jesus. How we meet Then one year.. in Nov 2015 we meet on an online dating site. It might of not been the best way to meet someone, but God had a plan. After chatting for a few months, we decided to meet. Our relationship went really fast. He moved in within a few weeks. We spent every minute together. In July 2017 we got engaged. In July 2019 we bought a house together. Then we wanted to get married so we asked Pastor Terry to marry us. (We meet pastor Terry the year before when he married our best friends at the time)

Our testimony Then a few months later I started working from home then covid hit. I found myself researching a lot of the things that were going on in the world and things started going downhill for me. I had a lot of fear. Fear for my future. I was border line depressed. It took a tole on me. Nick would leave for work, and I would cry the whole night. I couldn’t function at work. I would spend most of my day in bed. I had no hope at all.

So one day, when I felt at my lowest. I was working and I looked at a picture frame that was given to me, it was on the wall next to my work station and it said “worry ends where faith begins” and i just asked God if I was going to be ok. Not thinking anything of it, I continued working and went on with my day. The next day, I went to check the mail box and there was an envelop. I opened it and there was a hand written letter in it. It was talking about the way the world was going and asking if I knew God ect. So I emailed the lady who left it in my mail box since she had left her email, I didn't hear back right away. The next morning, a girl I use to party with and who I haven't talked to or seen in over 10 years messaged me on facebook and told me she woke up that morning and God had put me in her heart. And that God wanted me to know how much He loves me. It stirred something big in my heart, it changed something in me. I was so worried about letting Nick know though because we would always say things like “If God is so great then why so many kids are suffering”. So it took me a few days to tell him what had happened. Only to find out he has been praying!

God changed our lives instantly! All my anxiety and depression faded away. I felt the urge to read the bible, to get baptized. I’ve never looked back. My only regret was that it didn't happen sooner.

So why did we want to share this with all of you? When I look at Talia, Becca, Mason, Matt, Jaxson, Madison, Chandler and all of you guys at how much you are all on fire for Jesus at such a young age. It stirs something in my heart. It moves me. It is so remarkable to me. And it is inspiring! Following Jesus is not cool. Specially not as a teenager or a young adult. The world will tell you that. But trust me, to the right people, your fire and love for Jesus is noticed and it is infectious. Living the party life is not worth it. It does nothing. I did it for many years and it was all for nothing. Living for the world is just not worth it! As our friend King Solomon would say, it is meaningless. Thank you for listening. You are all a blessing to us and we love you all so much! "

All this to say, "say Yes to the things of God". Even though you don't feel like it. Someone, somewhere might just need it! Thank you Jesus for putting me in those situations! I will continue to say yes! Because He is worthy of it all. God bless, Nancy xo