WHEN YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO WASNT JUST YESTERDAY. GINA WAS STILL A NEWBORN AND ROSS WAS ONLY THREE YEARS OLD. THEIR DADDY AND I WAS STILL TOGETHER AND WE WERE CLUELESS OF WHAT "LIFE" HAD IN STORE FOR ALL FOUR OF US. WE LIVED BEHIND HIS MOM AND DAD AND HIS SISTER KATHY LIVED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF US. OUR LIFE WAS RATHER ORDINARY. WE WERE ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PRESENT. THE HERE AND THE NOW.
MY IN-LAWS WERE CHURCH GOING PEOPLE. THEY ONLY WANTED TO SEE US DO WHAT WAS RIGHT. EVERY MORNING, COME RAIN OR SHINE, HOT OR COLD, MY IN-LAWS WOULD SIT AT THEIR DINING ROOM TABLE AND SINCERELY PRAY FOR THEIR FAMILY. MY MOTHER IN LAWS NAME WAS GAYLE. GLENDA GAYLE TO BE EXACT. SHE WAS QUITE A WOMAN. I ALWAYS CALLED HER MS THIBODEAUX. ANYWAY...MS THIBODEAUX ALWAYS TRIED TO GET US TO GO TO CHURCH WITH HER AND OF COURSE, WE ALWAYS PUT IT OFF. I WILL NEVER FORGET, SHE ONCE ASKED ME TO GO TO A WEDNESDAY NIGHT SERVICE ONCE AND I SAID YES, THAT I WOULD GO. WELL, THE WEDNESDAY EVENING ROLLED AROUND AND I SAW HER WALKING TOWARDS OUR HOUSE, IN THE WAY THAT ONLY SHE COULD WALK. SHE HAD SOMETHING IN HER HAND AND HANDED IT OVER TO ME ONCE SHE GOT UP ON OUR PORCH....SHE HANDED ME MY VERY OWN BIBLE....THE NICEST ONE I EVER HAD! I WENT TO CHURCH. I LOVED MY NEW BIBLE. BUT, I STILL DIDNT DO WHAT I SHOULD HAVE.....
THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, I HAD ALWAYS FELT AND KNOWN THAT I HAD BEEN RUNNING FROM GOD. NO MATTER HOW FAR I RAN, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I DID OR NO MATTER WHAT I DID, I KEPT UP WITH THE BIBLE MRS. THIBODEAUX GAVE ME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. WHEN SHE FIRST GAVE IT TO ME, I WROTE THE DATE IN IT AND WHO IT WAS FROM. IT WAS JANUARY 2, 1997. I ALSO LISTED VARIOUS BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES IN THE APPROPRIATE AREAS. I LOVED LOOKING THROUGH MY NEW BIBLE. I THOUGHT IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.
OUR LIVES CONTINUED TO CHANGE. THINGS GOT MORE AND MORE OUT OF CONTROL. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED OF WHERE I WENT, I KEPT UP WITH THE BIBLE MRS THIBODEAUX GAVE ME. LOOKING BACK TODAY, FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I WROTE MAINLY IN THE "DEATHS" PAGE OF MY BIBLE. I SEEM TO HAVE WAY TOO MANY NAMES LISTED THERE, NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY MEANT SO MUCH TO ME. I AM BLESSED TO NOT HAVE MY NAME LISTED ON THAT PAGE AS WELL.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, MY NEW BIBLE WAS UNBLEMISHED. IT HAD THE "SMELL" OF A NEW BIBLE. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. SOMEHOW, THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD, THAT VERY SAME BIBLE HAS REMAINED WITH ME THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. IF IT WASNT WITHIN REACH, IF ASKED, I COULD TELL SOMEONE EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS AT ALL TIMES. MRS THIBODEAUX GAVE ME QUITE A GIFT IN JANUARY 1997.
TODAY, THE COVER OF MY BIBLE LOOKS SOMEWHAT CRACKED AND FADED. ITS HAS BECOME SOFT AND FEELS SOMEWHAT OLD TO THE TOUCH. IT HAS BEEN HIGHLITED AND WRITTEN IN. THERE ARE DATES LISTED THROUGHOUT IT, GOING BACK TO ALMOST THE DATE THAT I RECEIVED IT. WORDS HAVE BEEN CIRCLED, NOTES HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE MARGINS AND ARROWS HAVE BEEN DRAWN. BUT MOST OF ALL, MY BIBLE HAS BEEN READ AND STUDIED. IT HAS BECOME MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSION.
TO ME, THIS BIBLE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT MRS THIBODEAUX'S PRAYERS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY WERE ABSORBED INTO ITS PAGES. MRS THIBODEAX PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS AGO. I JUST WISH THAT SHE COULD WITNESS THE OUTCOME OF HER PRAYERS AND THE CONDITION OF THE BIBLE SHE GAVE ME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. SHE TRULY GAVE ME A GIFT LIKE NO OTHER. I SEE TODAY THAT GOD PLACED MRS THIBODEAUX IN MY LIFE. IT WAS ALL A PART OF HIS MASTER PLAN.
MY HEART IS FULL OF THANKSGIVING THIS MORNING. THROUGH MRS THIBODEAUX, GOD WAS SHOWING ME LOVE EVEN WAY BACK THEN. I AM SO GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL THAT I FINALLY REACHED OUT AND LET HIM FINALLY GRAB MY HAND. I HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED. WE ALL HAVE BEEN.
GOD IS AT WORK IN OUR LIVES EVEN WHEN WE DO NOT REALIZE IT. HE IS THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING GOOD. THE BIBLE IS HIS LOVE LETTER TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. IT WAS WRITTEN FOR ME. IT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU. GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS WORD!
MY IN-LAWS WERE CHURCH GOING PEOPLE. THEY ONLY WANTED TO SEE US DO WHAT WAS RIGHT. EVERY MORNING, COME RAIN OR SHINE, HOT OR COLD, MY IN-LAWS WOULD SIT AT THEIR DINING ROOM TABLE AND SINCERELY PRAY FOR THEIR FAMILY. MY MOTHER IN LAWS NAME WAS GAYLE. GLENDA GAYLE TO BE EXACT. SHE WAS QUITE A WOMAN. I ALWAYS CALLED HER MS THIBODEAUX. ANYWAY...MS THIBODEAUX ALWAYS TRIED TO GET US TO GO TO CHURCH WITH HER AND OF COURSE, WE ALWAYS PUT IT OFF. I WILL NEVER FORGET, SHE ONCE ASKED ME TO GO TO A WEDNESDAY NIGHT SERVICE ONCE AND I SAID YES, THAT I WOULD GO. WELL, THE WEDNESDAY EVENING ROLLED AROUND AND I SAW HER WALKING TOWARDS OUR HOUSE, IN THE WAY THAT ONLY SHE COULD WALK. SHE HAD SOMETHING IN HER HAND AND HANDED IT OVER TO ME ONCE SHE GOT UP ON OUR PORCH....SHE HANDED ME MY VERY OWN BIBLE....THE NICEST ONE I EVER HAD! I WENT TO CHURCH. I LOVED MY NEW BIBLE. BUT, I STILL DIDNT DO WHAT I SHOULD HAVE.....
THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, I HAD ALWAYS FELT AND KNOWN THAT I HAD BEEN RUNNING FROM GOD. NO MATTER HOW FAR I RAN, NO MATTER HOW MUCH I DID OR NO MATTER WHAT I DID, I KEPT UP WITH THE BIBLE MRS. THIBODEAUX GAVE ME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. WHEN SHE FIRST GAVE IT TO ME, I WROTE THE DATE IN IT AND WHO IT WAS FROM. IT WAS JANUARY 2, 1997. I ALSO LISTED VARIOUS BIRTHS AND MARRIAGES IN THE APPROPRIATE AREAS. I LOVED LOOKING THROUGH MY NEW BIBLE. I THOUGHT IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL.
OUR LIVES CONTINUED TO CHANGE. THINGS GOT MORE AND MORE OUT OF CONTROL. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENED OF WHERE I WENT, I KEPT UP WITH THE BIBLE MRS THIBODEAUX GAVE ME. LOOKING BACK TODAY, FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I WROTE MAINLY IN THE "DEATHS" PAGE OF MY BIBLE. I SEEM TO HAVE WAY TOO MANY NAMES LISTED THERE, NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY MEANT SO MUCH TO ME. I AM BLESSED TO NOT HAVE MY NAME LISTED ON THAT PAGE AS WELL.
FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, MY NEW BIBLE WAS UNBLEMISHED. IT HAD THE "SMELL" OF A NEW BIBLE. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. SOMEHOW, THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD, THAT VERY SAME BIBLE HAS REMAINED WITH ME THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. IF IT WASNT WITHIN REACH, IF ASKED, I COULD TELL SOMEONE EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS AT ALL TIMES. MRS THIBODEAUX GAVE ME QUITE A GIFT IN JANUARY 1997.
TODAY, THE COVER OF MY BIBLE LOOKS SOMEWHAT CRACKED AND FADED. ITS HAS BECOME SOFT AND FEELS SOMEWHAT OLD TO THE TOUCH. IT HAS BEEN HIGHLITED AND WRITTEN IN. THERE ARE DATES LISTED THROUGHOUT IT, GOING BACK TO ALMOST THE DATE THAT I RECEIVED IT. WORDS HAVE BEEN CIRCLED, NOTES HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE MARGINS AND ARROWS HAVE BEEN DRAWN. BUT MOST OF ALL, MY BIBLE HAS BEEN READ AND STUDIED. IT HAS BECOME MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSION.
TO ME, THIS BIBLE IS MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN EVER. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT MRS THIBODEAUX'S PRAYERS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY WERE ABSORBED INTO ITS PAGES. MRS THIBODEAX PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS AGO. I JUST WISH THAT SHE COULD WITNESS THE OUTCOME OF HER PRAYERS AND THE CONDITION OF THE BIBLE SHE GAVE ME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO. SHE TRULY GAVE ME A GIFT LIKE NO OTHER. I SEE TODAY THAT GOD PLACED MRS THIBODEAUX IN MY LIFE. IT WAS ALL A PART OF HIS MASTER PLAN.
MY HEART IS FULL OF THANKSGIVING THIS MORNING. THROUGH MRS THIBODEAUX, GOD WAS SHOWING ME LOVE EVEN WAY BACK THEN. I AM SO GRATEFUL AND THANKFUL THAT I FINALLY REACHED OUT AND LET HIM FINALLY GRAB MY HAND. I HAVE BEEN SO BLESSED. WE ALL HAVE BEEN.
GOD IS AT WORK IN OUR LIVES EVEN WHEN WE DO NOT REALIZE IT. HE IS THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING GOOD. THE BIBLE IS HIS LOVE LETTER TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. IT WAS WRITTEN FOR ME. IT WAS WRITTEN FOR YOU. GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS WORD!
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