Peace with God
Our Journey with God – The Berbari Family
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It’s a privilege to share with you the journey God has lead us on. It’s certainly had many ups and downs and we hope that you may find it interesting and beneficial.
Kim and I were raised in completely different environments. She, being raised by a Christian father, attended church, bible study, and bible camp regularly. She was one that loved the Lord so much that, at the age of 5, when her bible teacher asked “Who would like to accept Jesus in their heart”; she was the first one to raise her hand. Kim learned who Jesus was at an early age and became a fun-loving, faithful girl.
I on the other hand, never attended church unless it was for a wedding or funeral. However, I was taught that there was a God and I should always respect people and be considerate of others. My parents’ main focus was to raise us with good morals and values. My mother did teach us to pray to “God”, before dinner and bed, but it never became personal.
It wasn’t until my junior year of college, 1992 to be exact, that I met my perfect mate – Kim Stanfield. Like most 20 year-olds, we were young and full of energy. However, Kim was different from the other girls, but I just couldn’t pinpoint why. She did tell me that she was a “Christian”, but it didn’t really affect our relationship much. We had a lot of fun, and the few times we spoke about her faith, I do remember ganging-up on her with my roommate, a history major, and debating her. We always won! Kim definitely had a very strong faith even though she didn’t always know how to articulate it to me.
As our love for one another began to grow, she started to “preach” to me more and more. My response was always the same: “I love you and will never hurt you. Isn’t that enough?” I met a couple of her “Christian” friends and they didn’t approve of our relationship because of my “lack of faith” (I thought). So I responded in an even more negative way to the whole “Christian” thing. I remember stating: “If that’s what being a Christian is about, then I don’t want to be a part of it”. Well, our relationship continued and we loved each other more than ever. Little did I know that Kim was struggling so much inside.
In 1995, after 6 months of being away in Europe, I returned, as excited as ever, but to a different Kim. She was happy to see me but I could tell something was wrong. That evening, she explained to me that she had been living an “inappropriate” life with me, and that she was finally back with the Lord and had decided to honor Him first. She proceeded to tell me that our relationship needed to change and that I must start taking her faith more seriously. Pride took over, and I began arguing with all the strength I could muster. Tears were flowing from both of us and I was filled with anger and disbelief. “Goodbyes” were said and I drove away.
We did see each other a few times the following 3 months, but things just weren’t the same. I could tell she still loved me but we couldn’t be together. It didn’t make any sense to me why loving each other was wrong – I was furious and became somewhat anti-Christian. I then decided to go back to Europe. Ukraine was where I ended up, and, ironically, that’s where God began to “open doors” for me.
Ukraine, in 1995, was still very underdeveloped and the hardest thing to adapt to was the language. It wasn’t like Western Europe where most people spoke a bit of English. On the contrary, it was rare to find an English-speaking person. For that reason, I was ecstatic to hear that the local University had three English professors from the United States. Meeting them made my stay much more enjoyable.
The three professors were young and extremely kind. Their personalities were such that it was a pleasure to be among them. They did mention that they came from a Christian University, but I never questioned them and they never pushed me. Finally, after a couple of months, I told them about Kim and what had happened between us. They listened, and when I finished they understood things from both Kim and my perspective. The key was that they never preached to me. It wasn’t until I began asking questions that they would shed some light on the subject.
As time passed, I began getting more and more comfortable with them. We began conversing about Christianity often and I found that the arguments my college roommate and I used to use on Kim, did not work on them. They actually were able to respond convincingly to my questions and statements.
They gave me a Bible with “Jeremiah 29:11” noted on the back inside cover. I began to read it, along with some other books that they lent me. As my questions were answered by my friends, books, and the Bible, I began to see and understand the truth.
They ended-up returning to the U.S.A. in December, so I chose to continue to study the Bible searching for answers. Finally, on January 25, 1996, I made a life-changing decision. Alone in my apartment in Ukraine, I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior. All of a sudden I felt comforted and not so alone.
Kim didn’t contact me for the whole year that I was in Ukraine. It wasn’t until the fall of 1996 that she found out about the change in my life: that I was now “born-again”. She said that she prayed for my salvation the whole time I was in Ukraine. Who would have thought that I would come to know the Lord in a country where communication was a problem? My three friends were divinely put in that city for me – I know that!
Kim: I prayed every day for God to protect Luis while he was in Ukraine. I continually prayed for his salvation. I knew that God brought us together for a reason, so I continued to have faith that He would open Luis’ eyes to the truth. I was also praying that God would change me, and that I would walk closer to Him. I didn’t know what God was going to do, but I did have faith that it would be great. I knew that only God could change Luis’ heart. It didn’t matter where in the world he was because God was right there with him. I knew Luis was searching for answers. And, because he was searching, I knew God would reveal himself…I just didn’t know when. As it says in Mathew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.”
Later that year the door had been opened… I received a letter from Luis, he wrote “I have become a Christian…I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and I plan to live for Him.” When I read that letter, with tears of joy running down my face I realized it was one of the happiest days of my life. I was on the beach watching a beautiful sunset reading the letter that would change our lives forever. My prayers had been answered…the love of my life had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Now, when I said I had faith that God was going to do something great, I didn’t expect an incredible life with the “man of my dreams” but that is exactly what God gave me.
When I chose to tell Luis that I was giving God everything I had (and that included him) I truly didn’t know what God had in mind, but He gave me everything back and then some. I truly believe God wants us to give “Everything to Him” and He will use it for His good. Romans 8:28 says it this way…”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and are the called according to his purpose.”
Needless to say, Kim and I got back together at the end of 1997 and we married March 28, 2008. We’ve been through a number of ups and downs. However, knowing that Jesus is in control of our lives, we’ve been able to get through them.
We have had a number of significant challenges: the disillusionment for Kim of not realizing her life-long dream of competing in the Olympics; our 5-year struggle of being unable to have a child; financial struggles in our own, and our extended family, and much more…We’ve only been able to withstand all of this with Jesus’ support.
Now, as we thank God for all His blessings: our two beautiful boys Gio & Zenden; our wonderful Christ-centered 12 years of marriage; great health; family and friends, etc…we know that hurdles will continue to pop-up. However, because of God’s incredible faithfulness, and His promise to us in Jeremiah 29:11; we will continue to live for Jesus and grow deeper in our relationship with Him as we face each of these obstacles.
How You Can Find Peace with God
1. God Loves You!
The Bible tells us “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”
- The problem is that . . .
2. All of us have done, said or thought things that are wrong. This is called sin, and our sins have separated us from God.
The Bible says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” God is perfect and holy, and our sins separate us from God forever. The Bible says “The wages of sin is death.”
- The good news is that, about 2,000 years ago,
3. God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins.
Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. “God demonstrates His own love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
Jesus rose from the dead and now He lives in heaven with God the Father. He offers us the gift of eternal life – of living forever with Him in heaven if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.”
God reaches out in love to you and wants you to be His child. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.” You can choose to ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and come in to your life as your Lord and Savior.
4. If you want to accept Jesus as your Savior and turn from your sins, you can ask Him to be your Savior and Lord by praying a prayer something like this:
“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always.”
Did you just pray this prayer and really mean it…? If so, click on the link below & then scroll to the bottom of the page & click “YES” I did pray this prayer. You will then have access to some wonderful “next steps” on your journey with God…
Our prayer for you:
“Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us and working in our lives to bring us home to you and give us the gift of eternal life. Bless your child reading this now, in full measure, for your glory! We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen”
