Sharon Murphy

I gave my heart, and my life, to Jesus when I was nine years old.

A child evangelist came to my church and, while performing some magic trick, made it very clear that Jesus loved us so much that He could take away the guilt I felt from my stubborn, rebellious ways. Someone prayed with me, and I felt forgiven and my guilt burden gone.

My desire was to marry a Christian man and to be “equally yoked,” as the Bible says. God gave us three children, and we enjoyed serving at church and other people in many ways.

I always wanted to be a foreign missionary. Only as I look back on my life do I realize that the many Bible studies with women and children in my home were indeed my mission. Twelve of those years I lived in South Africa, Israel, Holland, and Turkey.

Being married to a military man wasn’t always easy, but God was everywhere we were and never failed me. The years spent as a single mom during my husband’s time in Viet Nam, and other remote tours, grew my faith.

I learned not to fret because of evil doers, and to “commit my way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do it.”

My husband became a diabetic and eventually needed kidney dialysis for six years. That situation gave me a great opportunity to share with other patients how God takes our lives and cleans out our sin, just as dialysis takes the patient’s blood and cleanses it. And we can come back for new cleansing whenever we fail. The blood of Jesus that was shed for us sets us free with hope.

When my husband fell and broke his neck, he became totally bedridden. I wondered, “How long?” But God gave me strength, hope, and encouragement through reading the Bible daily for those two difficult years. Because of our faith and commitment to Christ, God has blessed us with 58 years of marriage.

At this time in my life, my joy in the Lord causes me to look for opportunities to share the love of Jesus. My message is that although you feel discouraged, there is hope because God is always there for us in times of trouble. I find that praying about everything and reading God’s promises in the Bible can get me through anything – even caring for a bedridden husband with a broken neck.