Throughout 2024, the feature articles are devoted to hearing stories of God’s redemption within our Rosedale Network churches. We pray these stories fuel your love for the Lord and lead you to greater service in His Church.
~Kelsey Jurkovich, Publication & Literature Committee
I feel intimidated writing this article after reading the testimonies of previous Beacon contributors. I am over sixty years old and was raised in a godly home. I have not studied theology or had formal education after high school. I married right out of high school—a small-town girl with a lifetime of blue-collar jobs. I was born average.
But God redeemed me.
It was an old-fashioned revival message on Hell that pulled me out of my chair and down the aisle to bow at the front of the church, declaring my choice to accept the gift God was offering to forgive the sins of my immature 14-year-old heart. God sealed that decision as the Holy Spirit entered my life and the lifetime redemption process of a very “average” girl began!
Like many girls of the ’70s era in the Midwest, my goal was to find a guy, fall in love, and get married. My guy, Harold, a new Christian at 31 years of age, married me, a 19-year-old unrealistic dreamer, and my redemption process kicked into full throttle. Harold came to Christ with the misconception that God would bless, or at the very least sustain, our financial lives as he worked hard and did his best to live a godly life. I entered our marriage believing that Harold was so in love with me that he would seek to please me all the days of my life.
Joy does not depend on life circumstances; joy is a river that flows right through the hard places.
It is said that opposites attract—we would be a textbook example of that statement. Harold saw the glass half empty and I viewed the glass half full, but we both carried a Holy Spirit desire for a marriage that would thrive. When life was good, we soared on a euphoric high; when life brought struggles, Harold would plunge into a deep pit of depression as he determined that God did not care. Our time together was exceedingly good or devastatingly bad; there was no level ground. There were many nights I sat outside and cried out to God, desperate for help when our relationship would hit a wall. God reminded me every time that I did not have the power to change anyone but myself, and that’s what needed to happen. While the truth flashed in neon colors every time God spoke to me, I continued to try to make life better with my own positive efforts.
After several years of trying to fix the highs and lows, I hit a wall and the truth that God was trying to show me was my only option. What a great redeemer! I experienced a total transformation. Life took on color as I truly trusted and followed my redeemer. Joy does not depend on life circumstances; joy is a river that flows right through the hard places.
Truth alternately shouted and whispered to us through our pastor’s Sunday messages as well as the transparency of the lives of our church friends and families we loved. We grew to appreciate the front pews of the church as we had a thirst to hear God. I often squirmed on those benches as God shined His light on the stony ground of my heart.
Revival efforts during those years often brought practical teaching on God’s plan and purpose for marriage. Christian radio programs became part of our daily life. I am most challenged and fascinated by the stories of God at work in the lives of those He redeemed.
Having a great marriage is extremely important to me. God continues to use the challenges of marriage to grow me into His image. I am very average, but Christ living in me takes me to heights beyond anything this dreamer ever imagined. All glory to my redeemer.
Photo credit: AI-generated
