This is another article for the women’s ministry newsletter I had written in the spring.

Hello! My name is Karen Riley and I have been attending TLCC since January. My husband, Mike, and I have 5 children: Elizabeth 9, Luke 7, Emma (who is with Jesus), Isaiah 4, and Elijah 2. Although we are native “Columbusites,” we have recently moved back to Columbus from a short stay in Little Rock, Arkansas. I am excited to call Terrace Lake our new church home! My move back to Columbus is just one of many milestones I have journeyed through on my walk with the LORD.
Everyone goes through milestones during their life. There is your own birth, turning one, first day of school, graduation, marriage, baby, retirement…..Of course, those are just some of the big ones. What about Spiritual Milestones? You know, those events in your life that you totally see how God is working and sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. There is usually also one of those “Aha” moments when you fully realize what God has done in your life. As I journey with the LORD I like to keep a journal as well as keeping visual reminders of each of those milestones. I am going to share 6 of my spiritual milestones with you.
1.) I was a senior in college when my mom died unexpectedly at the age of 46 of a heart attack. I had only been a Christian for 3 years and talked it but didn’t walk it. At the hospital, I was with my mom when she died. About 45 minutes later I went back into the room. The LORD made it so obvious to me that it was not my mom laying there. She had had a soul, it was no longer there and I better be confident I knew where mine would go. That’s what jumpstarted my Christian walk. I have a beautiful picture of my mom and dad from my brother’s wedding that I keep in my living room. I also have a small locket with their pictures.
2.) After the birth of my first child, Elizabeth, I understood John 3:16 in a whole new light. I thanked God for this new understanding and of His Son’s sacrifice. I keep newborn photo’s of each child in our living room.
3.) From 1998-2001 I was enslaved to sin. I was in bondage to fear, worry, anxiety, and panic attacks. I went through a couple Bible studies and much prayer. My day of deliverance came at a ladies day out in Seymour. Kathy Troccoli was the guest speaker and singer. During one of her songs she gave an alter call and included those who were in bondage to come forward and be set free!! It was like God turned on the light and simply said “trust me.” I have a framed photo of me with Kathy Troccoli receiving her autograph on a cd I bought that day.
4.) On March 1, 2002 I gave birth to Emma Mae born 16 weeks prematurely (24 wks gestation). Although Emma was only with us briefly (35 ½ hours), God has used her life in HUGE ways. My prayer was for the LORD to use her life for Elizabeth’s salvation, He did! I also prayed the LORD would use her story for His glory, He STILL does! He showed me how to have peace, contentment, and joy in the midst of what we would ordinarily view as horrible and tragic. We have plaster footprints of Emma‘s feet. We also have her birth/homegoing announcement on her foot/hand prints framed with a 5×7 photo of her hand in mine.
5.)One of the hardest milestones in my journey was the strained relationship I had with my dad. When I moved to AR we did not say goodbye to each. In April of 2005 my dad and I were reconciled. In June he entered eternity after battling cancer. I had the privilege of writing a Tribute to honor him. I presented it to him the day after we were reconciled. The framed Tribute, which includes photos of my dad and I, hangs in my bedroom.
6.) In the fall of 2001 we accepted God’s call to serve Him in full time ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ serving at FamilyLife. We began raising support in 2003 and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas in 2005. The LORD taught me many lessons while we lived and served in another state. The LORD brought us back to Indiana late in 2006. That has been my most recent milestone and one of the most emotional. We have many wonderful memories and I have a bulletin board filled with prayer cards of our missionary friends we had the privilege of serving side by side with. We also have many FamilyLife books and resources.
I hope, that as I have shared these milestones with you, the LORD has reminded you of your Spiritual Milestones, as well. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4NIV.