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October 10, 2018 |
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
“I am a yes girl. When God asks me to do something … no matter how crazy, uncomfortable, or unusual it may seem, I say yes (but not always perfectly). I am learning that it is in those moments of obedience that we get to experience the abundant life promised.” — Wynter Pitts
My wife wrote these words on Instagram, just 14 days before she suddenly passed from death to life in my arms on July 24, 2018. With a heart full of joy and gratitude for what God had done in her life, her physical heart failed, and she found herself at Jesus’ feet, leaving my four daughters and me here on earth.
Her death was sudden and tragic. It broke our hearts.
We had celebrated 15 years of marriage less than a month earlier. And our four daughters are still so young (ages 14, 11, and 9-year-old twins). In a moment’s notice, our world stopped and then continued in slow motion for a time.
We were left reeling.
But Wynter was a yes girl. I’m thankful I was able to watch her make thousands of yes decisions over the years.
- She said yes to Jesus at just 5 years old on March 10, 1985. She’d have lots of highs and lows before meeting Him face to face, but He kept her soul secure and her path clear until that day.
- She said yes as a young girl when He dropped a desire in her heart to write. Later when we were dating, she told me she wanted to write a book. When I asked what it would be about, she simply said, “I don’t know,” but remained confident in her calling.
- She said yes to me in marriage on June 27, 2003, believing God brought us together. I learned after her passing that she told one of her book editors I was her phenomenal phenomenon. Truth is, she was God’s gift of grace to me.
- She said yes when the Lord asked her to quit her job to stay home with our four girls. It didn’t make sense at the time — her take-home pay was half our income — but she was confident the Lord spoke. Her confidence became mine, and God abundantly provided, blessing her work from home more than we ever thought possible. Her yes to come home maximized her influence in each of our girls’ lives.
- She said yes when God told her to create a small resource to entertain, inspire and teach our girls and those under her influence. What began as a cute project turned into a bi-monthly magazine that’s been reaching girls all over the world for more than seven years. Her yes often kept her up into the early hours of the morning, but it didn’t matter because God was asking.
- She said yes when the Lord upped the ante and asked her to write her first devotional for girls. In the next five years, she published seven books, with two more releasing posthumously.
- And she said yes again just a month before she passed from earth to heaven. I’d left an incredible job and ministry I love in Dallas to join the pastoral staff at a church in Nashville. It meant leaving her family and all her comfort behind, but God was asking, and she was a yes girl. She gave me the confidence to say yes, too. Her yes is now presently the greatest demonstration of love I have ever seen from a church family. The church has embraced us and become the hands and feet of Jesus to me and the girls. Her yes has given us a new place to heal and begin anew.
I like to think Wynter made her final yes right before entering the gates of heaven. That she saw Jesus face to face, and though the decision to leave her daughters and me behind was difficult, she said yes … because God was asking.
These “yeses” have stood out to me over the years as I’ve admired my Proverbs 31 wife. Wynter lived out Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” She lived each day prioritizing God’s calling on her life, which made it easier for her to say no to other things.
Because she said yes to God, now we can say, “Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate” (Proverbs 31:31, NIV).
May the same be true of you as you say yes to God, one request at a time.
Heavenly Father, thank You for always being beside me, asking me to respond to Your call. Thank You for giving me the courage to say yes. Give me discernment, and grace me with Your presence along the way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Philippians 2:13, “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (NIV)
Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way.” (ERV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
With God’s Girl Says Yes: What God Can Do When We Follow Him, by Wynter Pitts, help young girls discover the incredible life God has waiting for them when they choose to follow Him.
CONNECT:
Wynter’s legacy and ministry continues through For Girls Like You, a Christ-focused magazine and ministry for girls and the parents who raise them. Find out more at www.forgirlslikeyou.com or via social media, @forgirlslikeyou.
Enter to WIN a copy of God’s Girl Says Yes. To celebrate this book and honor Wynter’s influence, her publisher is giving away 5 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and notify each one by Monday, October 15.}
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
What is God asking you today that requires your “yes”?
© 2018 by Jonathan Pitts. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries thanks Harvest House Publishers for their sponsorship of today’s devotion.
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Proverbs 31 Ministries
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Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org