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Terry Meeuwsen
"All things work together
for good to those who love God" Romans 8:28 (NKJV).
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 30s, 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.
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 (NKJV)
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 (NKJV).
God is
indeed, the God of second chances.
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
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Terry Meeuwsen was born and raised
in the Green Bay area of Wisconsin, where she grew up the oldest of four
siblings. Gifted from a young age, Terry developed her God-given vocal
talent, eventually joining the New Christy Minstrels for two years before turning
her attention to a larger stage. Terry was crowned Miss America 1973 and
she used her new platform to share her faith.
Winning the Miss America crown helped Terry
launch a career in broadcasting that would ultimately bring her to the
Christian Broadcasting Network. Since 1993, Terry has been the warm, engaging
personality greeting The 700 Club guests
on weekday mornings. Serving as co-host with Pat and Gordon Robertson, the trio
has shared the love of God with millions of viewers from the CBN studios in
Virginia Beach, VA over the last 23 years.
Terry is also an accomplished author, with
four titles to her name, including The
God Adventure, a story of God’s power and purpose in her life.
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