Tetelesta!

“It is finished!”

I have turned another year older today. I went home to Georgia this past weekend for my last final but of course fabulous shower with friends and family. I am so blessed to have such amazing people who love and care for me. Some of them have never even met Blake, others haven’t seen me in years and they all still shower me with gifts and cards and love.

I walked away from my shower so in awe of people and their generosity.

Little did I know, more was to come…

So to give you all some history, I have acquired some debt with my parents. It started about 5 and half years ago when I bought all new furniture. My parents were kind enough to tell me that I didn’t need to worry about a monthly bill to the furniture store that would have some interest and instead they would pay for it and I could pay them back interest free.

So a few thousand dollars later, I had new furniture and a little debt to mom and dad. Flash forward about 2 months later to someone telling me my parked car had been hit. I walk outside on a Saturday morning to find a 16 year old girl crying in front of her wrecked car and my wrecked parked car. It seemed like a good bit of damage but I wasn’t expecting them to tell me my car was totaled!

So now I was out a car that was paid for and stuck with about $5,000 to try to get a new one? My parents again stepped up to the plate and said they would pay the remaining amount left on the used car I wanted and I could add that to my debt.

So my small debt grew to a tad bit larger than I wanted. I made a point to get a receipt book and pay them back as much as I could afford each month. My internal goal was to pay them off completely in 5 years.

Well the 5 year mark is approaching this coming July 4th and unfortunately I still owed them a little over $2,000. I did not want to bring any major debt into the marriage but both Blake and I talked it over and said we wanted to make that our first priority and try to pay them off as soon as we could.

Well as of Sunday morning, June 27, 2010 my debt has been paid in full thanks to my amazing parents! As an early birthday present they presented me with the last little receipt I had sent with last month’s payment and wrote in big letters “TETELESTA!”
It is finished! And the verse from the cross when Jesus spoke those words:

John 19:30 (New International Version)
30When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

I immediately began crying! For so long I had worked hard to pay them back. My tears were such a mix of joy and grace and relief all in one. I cried because I am no longer had that debt to pay. I cried that my parents had just wiped such a large amount away and I cried thinking about the freedom that comes with this gift.

I was crying over $2,000.

Have I cried over my life!? Have I truly thought about what “Tetelesta” means? Have I spent time reflecting on the words that my Savior spoke for just for me while hanging on that cross 2,000 years ago?

The beauty of our faith is that we don’t have to do anything. I don’t have to pay my Savior back. It is finished! It is done! I don’t have to do anything because of what Christ paid on the cross for me.

Its unreal, amazing, beautiful, painful, easy, hard to accept. It’s GRACE.

I heard this once from a Sunday school teacher. He said that it’s amazing to see Buddha’s last words next to Jesus’ last words.

Buddha said: "All conditioned things are impermanent - strive on with diligence!"
Jesus said: “It is finished!”

One great leader told us to strive on, keep working, doing things…the other great leader, creator of the universe, said the opposite-It is finished!

I am blessed to have such amazing parents who would wipe my debt away. I am blessed and humbled to have such an amazing savior who would do the same for me on the cross!

I may have to frame that last receipt slip-for a few reasons!

40 Days

That’s how long I have until I am Mrs. Perry. Only 40 days. I have been reflecting on the arrival of this number for a few weeks now. For some reason 40 days seems a bit more important than even 30 days or 5 days. 40 days.

You can do a lot of stuff in 40 days. You can change your diet, exercise plan, train for a race, flood the earth, be tempted by the devil, kill a giant…wait what?

Yes, it seems like 40 days occurred a lot in the Bible. Some major things happened during a 40 day time period. If you do a search for 40 days on Biblegateway.com, you get 22 results. The most notable are the flood, Moses on the mountain with God, Goliath taking his stand every day, Jesus in the wilderness and Jesus staying on earth for 40 days after his resurrection.

When I think back on some of these stories, it seems that 40 days was a time when God was preparing the hearts of his children. It was almost a holding tank, or a time when God needed to ready his warriors for battle. God was teaching them things so that they would be able to handle the aftermath of the 40 day period.

When you think about the result of what 40 days brought in these stories, it is mind blowing!

The flood-God created a rainbow as a promise with his children that he would never destroy the earth with flood ever again. It took a flood to eradicate sin and teach those that survived how important it is to hear and listen to God’s word and promises. (Gen 7-9)

Moses on the mountain-Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days, while God gave him the words to write and share the Ten Commandments. (Ex 34)

Goliath-Goliath came took his stand for 40 days taunting God’s children until a young David came on the 40th day and killed him with his slingshot saying-I come in the name of the Lord Almighty! (1 Sam 17)

Jesus in the wilderness-Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness while at the same time the Devil came to him and tempted him. Jesus resisted Satan’s evil powers and the angels attended to him after 40 days. Then his ministry ultimately began as word spread about him and the miracles he was performing. (Matt 4)

Jesus ascends into Heaven-After staying on earth for 40 days after his resurrection Jesus ascending into Heaven and left the power of his Holy Spirit with us (Acts 1)

So what does this mean for me as I stand on the cusp of moving from being a single woman to a married woman? I know for one that it does not me the end, game over, the solution to my problems or the completion to who I am as a person. Excuse me, while I stand on my soapbox for a bit to I unpack this thought.

Too often in the South without directly saying it, females are taught that marriage is the ultimate goal. That finding the “one” is what will make you whole. That being married and having a family is the answer to any internal issues, problems, pain or suffering.

While I think marriage and family are hugely important, I don’t think they are necessary for living the full life God wants for us. I think too many young women make the mistake in thinking they can’t have the full experience unless they have a man in their life.

I know from personal experience that at one time I am sure my thought process was similar. However, I have learned so much as a single woman. God has shown me so many amazing things and a lot of these lessons never even had a man in the story line (no offense fellas). So I want to take these remaining 40 days to prepare my heart for the next season, the new phase, the amazing things he has in store for me after I say “I do.”

I want to accept in these 40 days that marriage is not an end to any current internal problem. I want to accept that whatever issues or sin I deal with now will be carried over to deal with and work through in marriage and more importantly I want to keep learning and growing as a woman of God!

These 40 days, join me in praying that I will become a better person independently. Pray that I will also become a better person for Blake. I want to embrace the beginning and not the end of what’s in store for after the 40 days.

God could show me or you some awesome things in 40 days. He could show us a rainbow, new lessons, kill giants in our life, allow our ministries to begin and teach us how to embrace his Sprit. Let the countdown begin…

Revelation 19:7: Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

Pray with me as His bride "makes herself ready!"