NOTICE: The following
article is written by the author itself and not by me, I am not trying to
violate their copyright. I will give some information on them.
PAGE
TITLE:
CBN Daily Devotional
ARTICLE TITLE: The God of a Second
Chance
DATE: 1998
AUTHOR: Terry Meeuwsen
AUTHOR
INFORMATION: Terry
Meeuwsen co-hosts The 700 Club with Pat
Robertson, a daily broadcast from the CBN studios in Virginia Beach, VA. A
native of Wisconsin, she attended St. Norbert College; and sang and traveled
with the New Christy Minstrels for two years. In 1973 Terry was crowned Miss
America. She began her broadcast career co-hosting a daily talk show in
Milwaukee called A New Day
at NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV. Meeuwsen has also authored four books.
Terry and her husband, Andy, have seven
children. Five of their children are adopted. The adoption of their three
daughters from Ukraine opened her eyes to the plight of millions of children
around the world who are alone and in desperate situations. Out of that
concern, a ministry called Orphan’s Promise was birthed and now is at work in
over 40 countries around the world. The passion and purpose of Orphan’s Promise
is to touch as many of these children’s lives as possible, both physically and
spiritually.
To find out more about Orphan’s Promise,
visit OrphansPromise.org
I
began working in television in Milwaukee in 1978. While I'd never set out to do
talk TV, I felt at home from the beginning, and being in the public eye gave me
many opportunities to share my faith. Because it was fairly common knowledge in
the community that I was a Christian, the publicity of going through a divorce
was difficult. That winter, I went home at the end of each day to a cold,
silent house. Emotionally depressed and grieved, I would then climb into bed
with my hat, coat, and boots still on and sleep till morning.
I'm
not sure when that heavy veil of grief and emptiness began to lift. But sometime
that spring, I became aware of the sweet smell of the wet earth beginning to
thaw, the songs of promise that were being sung with such abandon from every
nest and perch. I began to move on. I had no intention of dating and no
interest in pursuing a new relationship. Though I loved children, I had
accepted that there would be none in my first marriage. I was in my thirties,
and the prospect of marriage and a family seemed remote and unlikely. Yet God
had other plans.
I
met Andy Friedrich at a retirement celebration for a coworker. He had gone
through a divorce a number of years before that, and after much floundering and
searching, a friend had led him to Christ. But no one had discipled him, so he
had little knowledge of the Scriptures and wasn't in a church or study group of
any kind. Initially we met to talk about the Lord. In time, I grudgingly
conceded to a date, but not without apprehension.
Even
though Andy was ready for a relationship, I was still gun-shy -- so he simply
waited. With tenderness and kindness and an incredible amount of patience, he
broke down any barriers I'd put up. He was faithful, trustworthy, and committed
to the Lord and to me. We were married a little more than a year after we'd
begun dating.
The
Lord used Andy in many ways to help heal old wounds in me. He offered both of
us a new beginning, a clean slate, a hope, and a future. And I'm now a mom --
not one, not two, but seven children, each a precious, unique gift from the
Lord. God has surely given me more than I could hope for or ask.
The
story of Joseph in the book of Genesis is one of my favorites. Sold by his
brothers into slavery, taken to a foreign land, unfairly accused and
imprisoned, and with little hope or expectation of ever seeing his family
again, Joseph was in what seemed an impossible situation. Despite all that, the
Bible says, "The Lord was with him."
God
allowed the testing to build character in Joseph. Joseph went through years of
waiting and suffering before he saw God's plan in it all. God used Joseph to
save Egypt, the surrounding nations, and Joseph's own family. God's plans and
purposes are so much bigger and greater than our own.
At
the end of his story, Joseph says, "You meant evil against me; but God
meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day" (Genesis
50:20). That same truth is reconfirmed in the book of Romans in the New
Testament. "All things work together for good to those who love God"
(Romans
8:28). God is indeed, the God of second chances.
Thank You, Lord for the constant message of restoration that runs throughout Your Word. Thank You for the glimpse of Your handiwork that is so much bigger and more beautiful than I could have imagined. Help me to be faithful in times of testing. Align my life with Your will. Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Excerpted
with permission from Near to
the Heart of God, by Terry Meeuwsen ©1998
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