Just Me

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT: cheri@cherihardaway.com with any thoughts or questions you may have regarding anything you have read or seen here. I would love to hear from you. Also, please let me know how I can be praying for you.

I’m sure you have already figured it out, but I’ll say it once more: I’m an ordinary gal. I’m “just me.” I’m not a Hollywood star. I’m not a famous author. You won’t find me on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or in the pages of Forbes Magazine.

As far as the big old world is concerned, I’m no one special. But I really don’t care what the world thinks. I am really only interested in the opinion of one Person, and to Him, I am the world. (John 3:16 tells me that God so loved the world that He sent His only son to die for our sins, in order to restore those who believe unto fellowship with Himself.) God died for me, and I will live for Him.

The law of gravity guarantees that if we jump off a building, we will promptly plummet to the ground below, whether or not we believe it’s true. That’s a proven physical law of God’s universe. His universe also operates according to certain spiritual laws. Many diverse spiritual convictions abound in the world today, but unless they line up with the truth of God’s spiritual laws, they too will lead to destruction, whether or not we believe it’s true. He gives to each of us a free will to choose how we will believe and how we will respond to Him. Let us not gamble with eternity.  

I learned that my name, Cheri,  means “beloved.” Christ’s death, in my place, illustrates to me what it means to be “beloved” by God. Your name doesn’t have to be “Cheri” to be His beloved. He died for you, just like He died for me, and He is waiting to show you how much He loves you.

Trust Me

One of my husband’s favorite sayings when I first met him, at the ripe old age of twenty-three, was “Trust me.” We both giggle at that now, because trust was definitely not my strong suit. Life’s disappointments and unmet expectations kept me skeptical, and my chosen defense was to basically trust only myself, though I was often my own worst enemy.

Full of my own wisdom and misconceptions, God found me on my self-determined path to success when I was twenty-five years old. Marriage and career hadn’t offered the fulfillment I’d expected, and I jumped at His offer of salvation. In my heart, I knew that was the missing piece of life’s puzzle.

Though I was now on a new path, I still trusted my old self to get the job done. So in my own strength, I set about the task of becoming a perfect Christian wife and mom. I was determined to prove to God that He hadn’t made a mistake when He saved me.

It wasn’t until my own children became old enough to exercise their own free will that my “perfect” plan collapsed around me. I had to re-examine everything I believed and figure out if I’d failed God, or if He’d failed me. I then came quickly (“quickly” is a relative term here, since it took God over two decades to get through to me) to the point of total surrender. I was not in control. I had never been in control. I would never be in control. What a relief!

God loved me right in the middle of my sin, when I didn’t even realize I was in sin. He saved me. He changed me. He taught me that I don’t have to be perfect or prove anything to Him. He knows me better than I know myself, and He still loves me! I have lived and learned the truth, that victory and true freedom in Christ can only be had when we let go of our own control and our own plan and trust in His.

God said, “Trust Me.” And I do.

Other places I can be found on the web:


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Shoutlife

FaithWriters Profile Page

Christian Women Affiliate

Christian Women Take Root

Click here to visit this on-line Christian newspaper.

Click here to read some great Christian articles.