Titus 2 Men And Women

Tale Of 2 Women
Part II
by Sharon Merhalski

The first part of this article was written by Denise and can be found here.

I am humbled by Denise's words in her account of our friendship...very humbled. I am not going to begin this with a "now the real story" take on our lives...she reported it very well even though I am not very familiar with the spiritual woman she praises c:! I hope to show you how God meets peoples needs and brings them together for His purpose.

Eight and a half years ago my son, then 23 years old and a Senior in Bible college, was diagnosed with a brain tumor...inoperable and benign. Our family entered in to a storm of life that picked up energy as the years have gone by. My health waned under grief for my son's loss of his dreams and my burden for helping and teaching women increased by the month.

I am guessing that no human ever thanked God for ordering their steps to live in an old tin can of a house trailer...but that is what many college students do and that is what Denise, her husband, and Caleb could afford to call home. The trailer was out the back door of my home and across our driveway and down about half a block.

She told you how we met but what she did not tell you is that God placed her in to my life to answer my ongoing prayer for a "kindred-spirit" friend and a woman who needed me to be a Titus 2 Woman to her. Unfortunately people-friends-tend to stray away when there is an ongoing illness in a family. And I needed to give out for I had taken in and taken in and I felt stagnant...like a pond with no outlet. Denise was an answer to prayer...but I had no idea that she was an answer to both of my prayers..

Now, she was not some frumpy, depressed, illiterate woman who was just crying to be "Queen For A Day!" Denise went to etiquette school...she has a regal presence when she enters a room and manners to match. Denise had a good foundation in the Word of God while she grew up and a deep desire to grow in the Lord and serve and glorify her God.

Life for her was in confusion when I first met her...so many changes so fast. Life for me was also in confusion when we met...my son was ill, my daughter was in college, I was driving a school van and had a part-time job helping elderly people, and I was a missionary circle leader. (I had not learned to say no very well-temporary insanity as I look back on this!) My life-- while bouncing off the walls at times-- was suffering a spiritual void that only a sweet friendship and a ministry to women....even one woman would fill.

Denise eloquently told you how our lives meshed together. Our husbands became friends and I became somewhat of a grandma to her then 3 year old son Caleb. As our friendship grew we began teaching each other and we soon came to realize that our spirits were very kindred. Our friendship had to stand the test of negative people with childish mentalities...but a bobble here and growth there coupled with God's grace enabled the LORD to bring us to the place where He could trust us to unite to bring glory ONLY to our Abba Father. 

This is a very physically ill time of my life. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome waxes and wanes...and it is consuming for me right now. Two years ago, after a two year wilderness experience with my LORD, I knew what God's will was for my life but I did not exactly know how it would happen or when...or how I would have the energy to enter in to it. So, in my heart I sought God's leading, prayed the prayer of Jabez- asking God to enlarge my coasts, and ached for the day God would open the doors of service for me...aching to give back to Him all that He has taught me and all of the comfort He has shown me.

Well, Denise......when she knows something is right she makes it happen! She had heard my heart as God continually gave her the same burden for women and brought in to her life through her son what we both said we would never do.....the internet thing. We both used to say in ignorance that it was such a waste of time. NEVER SAY NEVER!

Denise had also heard my heart about knowing God was leading me to have a Bible study in my home...as God also gave her the same burden. One Wednesday she announced that on Friday we would start. Friday? Two days? And we did start with eight women who have a desire to learn God's Word and who have burdens that we can share and bear together in prayer and support. In this adventure of a home Bible study God gave us another kindred spirit with Barbara Lipkovich...and now Martha Whiting.

In the most turbulent of storms God gives us rainbows.....hope and blessings we cannot doubt come from our Heavenly Father. In this ongoing 8 ½ year storm that our son endures God has given me many rainbows...and Denise is a beautiful one that stays arched in a brilliant turquoise-blue sky. She respects age and she has a heart of true compassion and she has taken on the task-with enthusiasm-of making sure that I have a legacy to leave when I go to Heaven. When will that be? It should have been about a dozen times now...and without a physical miracle equal with the parting of the Red Sea, I will not walk this earth in my old age. She is a rainbow and has used her energy to help God create the rainbow of this web sight and our Bible Study. To Denise, I thank my God continually for you.

Where are we headed now? If she would stay out of the shower (water somehow gives her burdens and projects-even doing the dishes....) we could rest awhile. I guess time is too short for that because we are now in the planning stages for a ladies seminar. Pray for us.

I have the following glued into the front of my Bible as a constant reminder.

- RAINBOWS

"Remember in the Bible God had to send a great storm, not too long after He had made this wonderful creation. Man forgot God and went away from Him. God sent the storm, and after He had cleansed the earth and got man's attention again, He gave a promise that He would never again destroy the world with a flood. He signed that promise with a rainbow!

The rainbow was God's signature to say to us, "Never again will I destroy you by a flood." But I think when He put that beautiful bow in the clouds, He must have said, "Oh how I love My people. I don't want them to go away from Me. I want them to fellowship with Me. I don't want to have them hurt." And I think that bow represents all the promises He would give that would help us in our hurts.

Let me tell you what rainbows are. Rainbows are caused by the sun's rays passing through drops of water, and rays returning again back towards the sun which causes the spectrum of color that we see. The interesting thing is your back must be to the sun to see the rainbow. Isn't that the way it is in our spiritual life? We often only see rainbows when our backs are to the sun and we don't see any sun at all."
                                              -- Mrs. Beverly Hyles 

God's beautiful rainbows are caused by the rays of the sun/Son passing through drops of water/tears and returning back towards the sun/Son and this must happen for us to see the beautiful spectrum of color in a bow in the sky. In storms with many tears please never stop looking for and expecting a rainbow from God...you opened your computer to one today!
                                              -- Sharon Merhalski 

This page has been displayed 1 times this month, 38 times since October 11, 2008.