“You must be an angel!” is the response I often get when I introduce myself. That’s because my first name, Angele, is derived from the word “angel,” meaning “divine messenger” or “messenger of God.” Gosh, if I had a coin for every time I heard that over the years, I would be a rich women. As always, I smile graciously while every fiber in my body wants to do otherwise.
I was very blessed to grow up in a loving Christian home with two parents who were madly in love with each other and an older brother whom I admired. Thinking back, however, I am not proud of my many indiscretions. Even at the young age of 5, I turned back the dials of my Mickey Mouse watch to extend my playtime with friends, then claimed my watch was broken. Through my young adult life, I continued to make unwise, even reckless decisions. Oh, it’s easy to think back to some of the things I could have done differently.
Despite some poor choices, I accomplished many things like attending college and excelling in a career; then found love, got married, and was blessed with motherhood. It was in my late 20s that I had my first aha! moment. Though I had always loved Jesus, attended church service on Sundays, and read my Bible, I certainly didn’t have a living, breathing, relationship with God. Once I became a mom (and apologized profusely to my parents for all the heartache and aggravation I put them through), my soul was awakened. I had this precious little life in my hands, a gift from God, given to me to care for, nurture, shape, guide, and love. I was determined to right my wrongs and provide my child with the same spiritual foundation that I was given. The only way to do this was to dig deep in into scripture.
I was committed to better understand what the unconditional love of my Heavenly Father really meant.
I wish I could say from that moment on I experienced spiritual bliss; my days were filled with sunshine and rainbows. Rather, sometimes it felt more like I was being swarmed by locusts and sleeping in a lion’s den.
There are times God permits what He hates, so that He can accomplish what He loves. <<Click to Tweet
If I knew I ‘d endure trials and tribulations in my life in order to be where I am today in my relationship with Christ, I probably would have run in the opposite direction. I could have avoided much of my heartache and my life would have been a bit easier if I had only embraced living in the Spirit.
As I matured in my walk, Scripture started to jump out of the pages of my Bible.
I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33
Then another…
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10.
Then it happened! Now in my mid-30s, I had my second aha! moment.
The Scriptures connected with a phrase I’d heard many times from my parents, one that I didn’t really understand. As my dad would say:
“If you could unzip the air, pull the two sides apart and peak your head through, you would see the constant battle going on around you.”
The battle for my life began way before I was even a speck in my mother’s womb. Not only is there a clear and present danger in my life, but also in the lives of my children and husband…my family. See, I have an enemy who hates that I love God. Worse yet, he despises the fact that I am spreading the seed of the Gospel to my children and within my marriage. He is constantly at work trying to steal the life-giving Word sown in my heart and that of my family.
Since this became to clear to me, it’s been “game on”!
I have learned that the enemy always overplays his hand! By God’s grace and power, I have learned to let go. The victory comes when I realize I am helpless without God. Apart from Him, I cannot do anything! Worthy is the Lamb, indeed!
God is capable of taking our future and making it look better than our past…praise you, Lord!
No one walks in the spirit by accident. Every single day, I make the conscious decision to follow His lead, making Him my priority. It is something I will work on until the day He calls me home. My life is not perfect, my journey is long and the road still has potholes. I can’t even brag about my love for God because I fail Him daily; but I can brag about His love for me because it NEVER FAILS.
Sometimes it is not until the floor has been pulled from beneath, that you learn to fly like an angel.
We’re all helpless without God. What in your life reminds you of this the most? (Parenting? Marriage? Fitness?)
Angele Tanyeri an American Expat living in Europe with her husband and their 3 terrific (but rambunctious) boys. In a house full of males, she enjoys retail therapy and everything girlie! She is an imperfect women living in an imperfect world. She believes everyone has a story to share and is grateful that God has given her the courage to bless through her mess(ages). After giving into His unmatched voice, Angele created angeldancing.com as a place to spread her spiritual wings and sprinkle seeds of faith around the world.