Tiffany Beesley's Testimony

From: Tiffany Beesley
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 2:10 PM
To: alison.taylor
Subject: My Testimony

The word testimony itself puts a little a chuckle in my mind. I remember when I was a teenager complaining to my mother that I didn’t have a testimony. My little picture perfect life was not worthy of sharing a “sinless” testimony (one without drugs, alcohol or abuse) as many of the guest speakers at church spoke of. That’s when my sweet, sweet Godly mother knocked some sense in my head and said, “Honey that is your testimony. You didn’t have to go through all of that.” She showed me the error of my ways…

I was born into a Christian family and both my mother and father were preacher’s kids so I got it honest. When I was four my family moved to Oklahoma so that my daddy could attend Rhema Bible School and my mother followed suit the next year. They both felt a strong calling into some sort of ministry that God would later reveal. I accepted Jesus into my heart at the early age of five while at my neighbor’s house. I spent a lot of time with my neighbor, Michael and a lot of times his mother would have a bible lesson with us. I accepted Jesus into my heart right there on their sofa.

A few years later, Daddy accepted a church in West Virginia and moved the family there for 6 years. He loved and pastored that little country church and there I received my foundational teachings…while getting called down from the pulpit on many occasions! Life moved on and so did we. We moved down to South Carolina and for about 15 years, I said that I wanted to move back to Oklahoma and attend the same bible school my parents had. I KNEW I would find my husband while I was out there. That was always in the back of my mind.

While in high school I met the boy of my dreams…so I thought. We dated on and off for 9 years, so when he asked me to marry him, naturally I said yes. This is when God taught me the difference between permissive and perfect will. On the surface, everything was perfect. We looked liked we were meant to be and we basically grew up together so it just seemed right. Three months before the wedding, I called it off. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I cried so much I literally made myself sick. I spent the whole morning in bed with momma crying on her shoulders. I told this young man that I had a dream that I needed to fulfill before I could settle down with him. I had to go to Oklahoma and attend bible school and I knew that if I married him, I would never get to fulfill that dream and I didn’t want to live with regret or the possibility of resentment toward him.

Six months later, I’m attending bible school and working full time at a local bank and I met Brian. Come to find out, he shared a very similar story. We talked for several months and had our first official date on New Years Eve. Two weeks later, he bought my engagement ring and six months later he proposed (sometimes you just know). After a year of engagement, we moved back home to South Carolina and got married. We’ve been married now for 5 years and we have a beautiful 3 year old.

I thank my God for my lesson learned of His permissive and perfect will. I also thank Him for leading and guiding my parents to providing a Christ filled home and for setting Godly examples while drilling in us the difference between right and wrong.

Jer 29:11 (NIV) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."