Milestones!

[Michael Shanlian Ph.D.]

The year 2013 ushered in three milestones. Tomorrow my bride Karen and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. By all accounts our marriage should have ended in divorce. Karen was diagnosed in 1985 with Multiple Sclerosis and loss the use of her legs. Bankruptcy due to staggering medical bills, the loss of our home, life saving, Karen almost dying from a severe case of Mersa. The stress of working two jobs and having the primary responsibility raising our daughter did not allow much time for R & R. Most years we did not take vacations and we lived very frugal lives. Being a pastor brings other challenges and stresses. Karen has lived in a nursing home for the past two and a half years.

These are just a few of the challenges we have faced over the last 40 years. However, by the Grace of God our marriage is strong. Satan tried to destroy it but God had other plans. I Praise God for each day we spend together. The second milestone is my 50th year as a Christian. I was saved in 1963 at the age of ten. The third milestone I was born in 1953 and celebrated my 60th birthday. These three milestones make a nice mathematical sequence, 40/50/60. God has blessed our family beyond anything we could imagine. Despite the many challenges and apparent set backs God proved Himself faithful in the midst of our struggles and we were purified in the fire of adversity. If we did not make God our number one priority these important milestones would not have been realized! Thank you Jesus for allowing us another day. It is a honor to be your child and serve you. We don't know "what" the future holds but we do know who "holds" the future!