Continued from the March 24, 2026
“The rest of the story,” or at least part of it, because I am still on that journey and will be until I am face to face with my Savior.
I wish I could tell you that I lived a holy life all my years (so far) but that would not be the truth. Like lots of people, including many in the Bible, my journey has been filled with joy and sorrow, great heights and deep lows. I have loved the Lord my whole life, but I haven’t always lived that out in all my life choices. I still struggle with that and I’m guessing, I always will.
I recently attended some ministry training provided for me by the ELCA Synod that Devils Lake is a part of. We had a lovely and lively speaker who talked about Martin Luther – he’s kind of a big deal to us in the Lutheran Church – but he would be the first person to tell you to NOT look to him for an example of perfect faith or obedience to God’s word. In fact I learned that although he was an Augustinian Monk (Roman Catholic Church) he was particularly scrupulous when it came to confession. He saw himself for the sinner that he is and would go to confession so many times a day, often, that his own confessor reprimanded him for it.
I can relate to that, in my own way, because no matter how hard I try to be the woman – the person – God wants me to be, I always fall short. I give my faults and my failings to God and in the next moment snatch them back! I know my great need for forgiveness and salvation but that is not something I can do – it is God who has to reign in the wilfull, sinful Norwegian Irish woman I am.
Oh, I know God’s love, I’ve experienced so many wonderful things in my life – blessings from God – yet I am disobedient and in need of forgiveness and patience and love, constantly – just ask anyone I work with! They’ll tell you!
I am trusting that God will continue his work in me for as long as he plans to.
Recently I drove home from an afternoon in Grand Forks to hit a nasty snow squall along the way home at Michigan, ND. If it weren’t for the rumble strips along Highway 2, I would have gone in the ditch – the snow was like a thousand bullets coming straight at me horizontally right into my headlights and accumulating on the surface of the road so I could not see the white lines on the highway, but I could hear the rumble whenever I drifted too far to the right, off the roadway and onto the shoulder. Thank goodness for those rumble strips.
I thought about getting a room in Lakota, but told myself, I would make it home okay. That was the longest 28 miles I have driven in a LONG time, but I made it. A couple of times I slowed way down to 40 or 45 miles an hour, but I made it. I know I am difficult and stubborn sometimes – yeah, those of you who know me will smile at that. But I felt God’s presence in my little Jeep Saturday night in the dark, when I knew my friends would ask me – why did I risk it?
Good question.
I made it home okay.
Maybe someday I won’t, but so far I’ve been protected – even when I hitchhiked around the state when I was younger – sorry, I wouldn’t do that today, however.
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