This past Sunday, we had the joy of hearing a testimony of God’s faithful pursuit of Dana Tumlin. We rejoiced with her as she was baptized to signify her union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. The following is what she shared with the church on Sunday:
It is an honor to be here with you today and to have the opportunity to share a few snapshots of Gods grace in my life that have led me to proclaim my faith through baptism today.
I was baptized at the age of 12. I remember it being a special time but as I think back, I have a clear understanding that that special time was not when I was born again.
Fast forward to the age of 39.
Kevin and I had been married for seven years when we happily discovered I was pregnant with our second child. The results from the initial ultrasound were not filled with joy and excitement. We were told that the pregnancy was not viable/there was no heartbeat. Confusion and fear set in and the doctor gave us a choice. Either wait for my body to rid itself of the fetus naturally or take a dose of medication that would lessen my discomfort and shorten the process. Although Kevin and I had decided to wait, I was struggling. The idea of taking a single pill to reduce my pain, sickness and fear became very enticing. That’s when the Lord stepped in to show me that He was in control of all of it! Not me! While listening to a sermon about trusting God, I felt God gave me direct instruction to refuse the medication. To wait on Him. One week later a follow up ultrasound revealed the joy of a strong heartbeat! Alice, our 13 year old daughter, is my precious and constant reminder of the Lord’s control and kindness over my life.
Through my forties my faith seemed to be growing. I was living a blessed life. Raising two beautiful children, running two businesses that were both successful and flourishing and joyfully returning to the stage to perform with a local ballet company.
Unfortunately, I was also living out my lifelong habits and sins of selfishness and pride! My marriage was consumed with an underlying tone of frustration and hurt. So much so that I chose to prioritize my children, my businesses and my passions over my husbands needs. As a result we fell into living more like roommates than souls brought together by God. Something had to change and I thought that “something” had to be Kevin!
Boy was I wrong! As I crept closer to turning 50 the Lord began to show me that the only way to experience God’s fullness in my marriage was to surrender everything! My selfishness and pride, my successes, my passions and even my strong body. Jesus aligned me with a marriage mentor and surrounded me with a small community of women for support. In a very short amount of time Jesus taught me a great deal about my God given role as a wife. He showed me the tender heart He had placed in Kevin and my responsibility to be his helpmate. My surrendering it all led to my first real sense that the Holy Spirit was working in me and changing me.
In that instant, I believe God caused me to be born again! The Holy Spirit replaced my heart of stone with a heart of flesh! He put in me a heart that desired to please him above all. He put in my heart a desire for my husbands company above everything else! He reprioritized my life! Under God, Kevin became my #1 human assignment, my closest neighbor! The sadness and frustration had been replaced with joy, and a deep desire to continue to grow closer to Jesus.
Two weeks later, I was struck down with an unexplained herniation in my neck. Excruciating pain and fear threatened to take away the new found joy and peace in my marriage. Kevin and I agreed that we were fighting spiritual warfare! Praise be to God for making us a team ready to fight this battle and win!
Throughout this season, I have seen what can only be described as God’s perfect plan of refining and repurposing my life to glorify Him! 2 months after a full recovery from the neck injury, I focused on regaining my physical strength but the Lord had more He needed me to endure. He blessed (remember that word!) me with the diagnosis of a bone disease that would force me to close my businesses, hang up my passion of performing ballet and greatly reduce my ability to be as physically active as I was accustomed to.
How does the Lord “bless” someone by removing just about everything that encompassed her identity for most of her life?
He gave me ABUNDANTLY MORE! I have the love of Jesus. I have His assurance that life in eternity is eminent. I get to have a husband who I adore. I get to have two children who make me proud to be their mother. And I get to have a new calling that requires someone to pinch me everyday - it’s that impactful in the Kingdom!
God’s not done with me yet! But I am eager and ready to publicly proclaim my trust in him and that He is my Comforter, my Anchor, my Savior!