Defining Moments

stones at river bank

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For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry.
- Habakkuk 2:3

March is my birthday month; this is my 66th year.

I know it sounds pretty old, but thankfully, I don't feel that way at all.

In fact there is a sense of eager expectation, like being at the starting point of a new adventure. I sense that this is going to be a defining year for me. 

I look back at the years, remembering them with joy, but in reality, life has not always been a walk in the park.

My growing up years were filled with love and happiness, yet I know it didn't come easy for Papa and Mama. They worked hard to give us a good life. The loving nurture my sister and I received in our childhood and teenage years were bought with a price - my parents' perseverance, commitment, and dedication.

Then came my marriage to Ernie, 41 years ago today. It was a very good marriage, but again, this did not happen without some painful chapters of mastering hard lessons in the 30 years of our life together.

And in the past 10 years that I lived as a widow, I have learned even so much more.

What I'm saying is that we never really stop learning.

I have often described myself as a lifelong learner. Life is a teacher; the lessons never end. And most of the time, learning takes place within the classroom of pain, valuable lessons given by God as bread for the long journey.

Moreover, the lessons serve as sign posts and road maps to make sure we don't lose our way.

I am also a person in transition. We all are. This life is a pilgrimage with many mini destinations before we reach the ultimate destination where we will spend the rest of our life. Forever.

But until that time comes, as long as we are still here on earth, nothing is permanent. Everything is temporal.  Seasons come, seasons go.

For all the value we attach to it, this earthly life is but a mere drop in the unfathomable ocean of eternity that awaits.


The big question is, What kind of person am I becoming in the meantime?

Whether we are aware of it or not, we are defined by the choices we make from day to day.

How I use my time, how I spend my money, the words I speak, the thoughts I entertain, the books I read, the movies I watch, the convictions I hold, the company I keep, the food I eat, etc. - all these shape and mold the person that I am.

What I am and am becoming is a result of the many defining moments in my life... some minor, some major, but nonetheless, all play an important part in the story of my life that God is writing.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

-Psalm 139:16

In truth, life is a series of defining moments.

A defining moment is a point or event in life that causes us to take a certain course of action.

It has been said that the true power of the defining moment is in repetition. Repetition creates patterns that lead to habitual responses. Over time, these repeated responses determine who we become.

A major defining moment for me happened one December afternoon in 1973 when I turned the reins of my life over to Jesus Christ as my Redeemer, Master, and Lord.

In this defining moment, I decided to trust Jesus and become His follower.

I was a 20-year-old university student.

It was a life-changing decision, one that changed the course of my life forever. That decision led to many others: becoming a true disciple meant being intentional about seeking His will and living to honor Him in my life choices.

Since then, it has been 47 years of getting to know God more through the seasons of my life.

It has not been easy being re-programmed and being re-formatted, in a manner of speaking.

From the mindset of a slave, I went through the slow process of learning to live as a free person. My wrong impression of God as a taskmaster was changed, and I began to appreciate Him for what He really was, a kind and loving Father.

It's been a life of being emptied, of unlearning and letting go, rough edges being chiseled off, being sifted as wheat, being pruned, going through valleys, embracing contentment and simplicity. 

In exchange, there have been: joy in the midst of pain, specific answers to prayer, God's abiding presence, divine provision and protection, His healing balm over my wounds, first hand revelation, being brought to the mountain top and seeing how far I've gone. 

I have been emptied... to be refilled.

I had to unlearn that I might become teachable and flexible.

Sifted, or more accurately, threshed... to separate the grain from the chaff.

Pruned, to make way for new growth.

In the midst of doubt, I learn what true security is.

In dying to self I find my life in God.


It is an ongoing process. There is a long way to go.

Within the larger context of my life, these past 66 years have actually been a series of crossing over. 

Life is indeed a series of defining moments and crossing overs.

As Christ-followers, we all long for God's promises and provision to be a tangible reality.

But just like the Israelites standing at the banks of the Jordan, after forty years in the wilderness, we have to cross over to the other side to obtain our inheritance.

Do you want that which the Lord has prepared for you? Then you will have to cross over into the realm of spirit. Much of Christianity is on the soul realm, and that is not the place of provision. The land of promise and provision is the spirit realm, not the soul realm... (full article here)

There are new spiritual levels constantly being opened before us.  Moving forward requires a crossing over. 

No matter where we are spiritually, there is a new level available for us. And at each new level there is a Jordan to cross over. 

Pastor Mark Scholtz of Harvest Christian Church writes these insightful words:

We are crossing over the Jordan and a new Promised Land lies before us. Our Jordan is a place of obedience and a start of a new season! It's time to put our feet in the water and watch God do wonders amongst us, and walk into this new season of taking land like never before. source

Our Jordan is a place of obedience.

If indeed we are intentional about reaching our destination, we need to be prepared to fight the battles at every bend. 

Every crossroads, every fork in the road is crucial. 

There are battles over pride, self-righteousness, self-centeredness, materialism, and complacency, to name a few.  

The battle is mostly fought in the spirit realm, but the outcome eventually manifests externally.

The journey is the same one Christ took,  the downward descent to true greatness.


Serving, instead of being served.

Choosing the cross life, which means a life of humility and relinquishment.


This kind of life goes against human nature. Fallen nature will always choose to gratify self and to ascend where the limelight and praises of men await.

Ah... but it's the wide road to eternal loss. Jesus Himself asks,

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world,

and loses his own soul?

Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

- Mark 8:36-37

Thus the Redeemer died for this very purpose... to provide a way for us to cross over from death to life.

The Cross was a defining moment for Jesus, and for us. He became the Savior, and we became the Saved.

In my journey, God has indeed proven Himself to be the God of the More Than Enough, and the God of the Divine Exchange.

On the very first day of this year 2019, God gave me two words: Hope and Promise.

I hold on to those two words for they will nurture my spirit for many months to come.

In the battles I am facing, my Abba Father calls me to set my sight on things above, and not on things below... to wait for the vision though it tarries, for it will surely come.

He extends His hand, calling me to cross over

from defeat to victory,

from slavery to freedom,

from hopelessness to security,

from fear to trust,

from the wilderness to the land of promise.

This being my birthday month I give honor and glory to God as my Creator, my Redeemer, and the Scriptwriter of my story.

I thank Him for the defining moments of my life that have shaped me into the woman that I am today. The story is still being written, and will continue for all eternity!

Meanwhile, I am crossing over from faith to faith, from glory to glory. Until Christ returns to establish His eternal kingdom.

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

And He shall stand at last on the earth.

Job 19:25