Sticking To Our Convictions
Sticking to our convictions is sometimes pretty tough. It’s easy when everything is fine, but it’s another story when things go different to what we had planned and our convictions are challenged.
About eight years ago, my wife and I were convicted by the Lord to stop watching television shows and movies. We didn’t want our children to watch them because of immorality, profane language, etc. There were a couple of shows on TV that seemed OK but the commercials were terrible. Did we want to expose ourselves and our children to this? NO WAY! We decided that we could easily live with only a few selected family movies, gospel tapes and educational videos. We had a peace about doing this and also received the blessing of more family time together and less worldly influence in our lives. This conviction wasn’t too hard to accept.
Shortly after this happened, WHAM, another conviction. This time it was regarding our children’s education. We had never heard of homeschooling before and didn’t know anything about it until we met and talked to friends who were homeschooling. This definitely wasn’t what the world or our family thought was acceptable. After saying we would never homeschool, we changed our confession to "We’ll homeschool if we see our children’s education suffer."
Our daughter always learned well until the school system changed and went with a new program. We found out that she was doing the same math book that she had finished the year before. She became so bored that the teachers were having her clean erasers, blackboards and do errands. Needless to say, we realized her education was suffering. We started homeschooling and haven’t regretted it since. The decision to homeschool became a conviction and we have experienced very few problems. It is now a way of life.
The Toughest Conviction
A couple of years later came the toughest conviction for us yet, letting God plan our family. We wanted God to be in control of every other part of our bodies and lives, so why not this area? My wife was convicted first on this issue. I wasn’t for quite some time, until I put away my selfish desires. We finally both came to a peace that I should have a vasectomy reversal and let God be in control of our family.
Shortly after the reversal my wife conceived, but then miscarried. We were disappointed but didn’t allow it to hinder our conviction. Sherri became pregnant again and miscarried six months after the first miscarriage. This was even harder to understand. We desired to have more children and we were being obedient to God, so why was this happening?
We didn’t let this get us down too much and left it to the Lord. Shortly after the second miscarriage, my wife conceived again. This time she carried the baby just six weeks short of her due date. She was in unusually severe pain so we rushed to the hospital. Eight minutes later, our little boy, Samuel, was born, but we knew something was wrong. He had a severe birth defect and after five hours went home to be with the Lord. This was definitely the hardest trial my wife and I have ever been through.
Could we still trust God?
This wasn’t like any other convictions we had had. This one hit hard. After Samuel’s death I struggled in my mind. "How can we continue to trust God for our children when each one is taken? How can I put ourselves through anymore of this painful torture, especially my wife whom I love very much and want to protect? Why not have another vasectomy? We can’t go through this suffering again."
Then I came to the realization that Samuel was a blessing from God. He touched many lives in his short life, from the hospital staff to our midwife. He also made a difference on our own lives. We have learned to totally trust God and know that He is in full control. We know that when we submit ourselves to the Lord, it is His will that will be done and not our own.
Three months after Samuel died my wife conceived and is expecting our fourth child in August 1998. She is doing very well and we can feel the baby kicking strongly. We pray for the health of Momma and the baby, but also know that God doesn’t make mistakes and He is in total control. We’re so thankful that we didn’t let Satan rob us of our convictions from God.
"Therefore do no cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." Hebrews 10:35-36.
DAVID LEITER
Columbia, Tennessee, USA
David and Sherri and their children, Amy and Brad, love to sing together. They love to worship the Lord and they love Blue Grass music. And you should see Sherri and Amy clog! They’re good!
The story of David and Sherri’s reversal testimony is written in the book, A CHANGE OF HEART , available from Above Rubies. Sherri Leiter is the Organizer of the Tennessee Above Rubies Retreat, 9 – 11 October 1998.