“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965);
British Statesman, Prime Minister, Author, Nobel Prize Winner

“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship.”
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888);
Novelist

This past week a national storm moved across our country; attacking a company that stands for what they believe in. Wasn’t it Alexander Hamilton or maybe Peter Marshall, who once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything?” With a daughter as an RMD (Restaurant Marketing Director) for one of our local Chick-Fil-A’s, we know up-close-and-personal the integrity and fortitude of this great company. Exhilarated by the public support of a family-oriented business, Brooke came home from a 13-hour day so grateful for families who came out to say, “Thank you.”

As I watched, read, and listened to countless conversations this week about this “storm,” all I could think was, “Well, if it takes chicken sandwiches to get Christians rallying to the cause of Christ, then so be it.”

Christ compels us, HIS CHILDREN, in Matthew 5:13-15, to be “salt and light.” He continues to tell us that if the salt loses it’s flavor, it will be thrown out.

Boy, I don’t want to be “thrown out.” I want loads of flavor flowing from my Christian walk, don’t you? Chick-Fil-A and owner, Dan Cathy, gave me a good kick in the pants this week and a strong reminder to stand for the truth of the gospel-no matter the cost or the storm that might bring on.

Today, my husband and I celebrate 28 years of marriage. If I know one thing, I know I stand for marriage and family. In Rock-Solid Families, I write, “During my first pregnancy, someone recommended reading Edith Shaeffer’s What is a Family? Edith’s words deeply affected me. She set the course for my parenting by gently encouraging me to see my family in thirty or forty years…at our first family reunion. I knew what I wanted to see–my husband and me still together after all that time, a family that shared a strong faith in God, grandchildren being raised in spiritually healthy homes with laughter and joy, and lots of love.” Wow. We are almost at that thirty year mark and boy, has God been good. Oh, there have been massive storms, yet each and every time, God has been there. I am so grateful we put our faith and trust in God, and not ourselves. Without him, I truly believe we would have been another statistic.

So, today, I celebrate my husband and family. Know that you, too, have a very real GOD who cares deeply about the condition of your heart, marriage, family, and life. There may be a storm looming over your life today. Please call out to God. He will be there for you. I promise.

“Without purpose, life is an experiment or a haphazard journey that results
in frustration, disappointment, or failure. Without purpose, life is subjective,
or it is a trial and error game that is ruled by environmental influences and
the circumstances of the moment. Likewise, in the absence of purpose, time has
no meaning, energy has no reason and life has no precision.”
–Myles Monroe, as quoted in Rock-Solid Families