Will you marry me?

In today's culture in our country, quite a big deal is made of asking a girl to Prom. It doesn't seem that a guy can just ask a girl to Prom anymore. No… he has to be creative & romantic, & think of a clever one-of-a-kind way to ask a girl to Prom. I cannot imagine the pressure this puts on the young man. Maybe I got it wrong, & all of this ingenuity is not necessary. Maybe a guy can just ask a girl to prom?

What about a wedding? Can a man simply ask a young woman to marry him or does he need to be creative & romantic? Dose he need his own one-of-a-kind way to ask a woman to be his wife? Again, in our country, it seems that a man doesn't just ask a woman to marry him. He has to make it an event. It needs to have an element of surprise. Romance is good. A photographer on hand is also good; however, this may detract from the private moment (unless, of course, the proposal occurs in the presence of others).

You get where I'm going with this. It take a whole lot of preparation to pop the question. What does it take to survive planning a marriage, the wedding, & then live happily ever after? I cannot answer this question. I married fresh out of college. I married my high school sweetheart. Yes, I dated a few other guys, but dating them only made me more certain of the guy who wanted to put a ring on my finger.

Now, married almost 32 years, I can honestly say that even though I married a guy I dated for 7 years, & even though I came from 2 parents that modeled true love, I really didn't have a clue as to what I was doing. I could barely boil water let alone fix a meal. I could clean, but could I work, clean, & cook a meal? NO! I didn't know the day I got married that we would have 3 beautiful daughters. I had 2 brothers, but honestly, I was relieved to have girls. I felt I knew them better.

The day he popped the question, I didn't know some of the sorrows we would face on our journey. I didn't know the heartache of losing my own parents. Having breast cancer & losing my home to a tornado a few years later was no where on my radar. No… that day he looked into my eyes & asked me to marry him, neither he or I had any thought of what the future would hold. Nobody does.

Life was a little simper then. No internet. I just knew we belonged together. I knew that I rested best in the crook of his arm. I knew pizza tasted best in his presence. Tobogganing wasn't the same without him. He didn't care that I had 2 left feet. It didn't matter to him that I couldn't catch a ball or win a race. No… he just pure & simply loved me, & I loved him back.

In the quiet...

In the quiet, the snow falls, my dog sleeps, the fire burns, & I ponder. I think about life and process so many seemingly insignificant things & of course, some of the things in life that truly seem to matter. I consider myself to have a deep relationship with Jesus. I asked Him into my heart at such a young age, I cannot pin it down to a certain date. I just remember singing "Jesus Loves Me" at the age of 3 & believing it. It really was that simple for me. So… I tend to see things through His eyes, or at least, I strive for that. I say this only so my readers of this particular blog may know from whence I come.

I want a heart for Christ. That means I want my heart to break for the things that break His heart. That's a heavy burden to bear because in our world, there is much to break His heart. These are the things I ponder in the quiet moments of my life. Lately, with  my increasing inability to overexert myself, I have more quiet moments than most people my age & certainly more than I have been accustomed to. As I rest to regain my energy, I wonder how God can use me with my new circumstances. I believe this blog  perhaps qualifies…

Lately, I have been humbled by many articles I have read about the crisis at Wheaton College with Professor Hawkins. When I read these articles, I usually have to look up the meaning of at least 3 words. The good news is, I am increasing my somewhat limited vocabulary, but I am also calling into question if I should be even writing a blog at all. Just to be honest, my blogs come from my heart, not from being gifted in the area of intelligence. I am not.

BUT, as I sit in my quiet, looking up words & trying to make 2 cents of this situation at Wheaton, my heart for Christ cries. It is sad & broken for this woman. Her motive in wearing a hijab was to show solidarity with Muslims (especially women) who are being despised & rejected by our society (PERIOD). I believe the college should be thankful to have such a caring professor. I believe this is the heart of Jesus, to care for the lonely. His earthly life showed this pattern over & over.

Instead of appreciating this woman's heart for these Muslim women & her self sacrifice, the college chooses to focus on theology. While theology has its place, & clearly it does not reside in my chemo brain, my throat has a lump in it, my heart is broken for this woman, & I'd like to shake the "Powers at BE" at Wheaton, & say,"Wake up! This woman is the kind of person you should be proud to have on staff. She has a heart for Christ, & she is bold enough to follow His calling & reach out to the persecuted." So I beg… "Please Wheaton, wake up! You are missing the point. Be ashamed. Don't fire her. Embrace her."