I’m A BeAr (pronounced bēAr)

You may ask what is a beAr?  A beAr is a believer the Almighty reigns.  And I have a lot of reasons to be a beAr, but the main two are that God saved me from myself and He saved me for Himself. 

God has saved me from myself on several occasions.  For example, I’ve been in four total loss car wrecks and suffered only superficial scratches in one of them.  Two were flips at high speed, one a head on collision with metal poles, one loss of control and guardrail crash over 100 mph.  No hospital, no time off, nothing further except time to reflect on how blessed I was.  Not to mention what led up to those accidents.  Twice in my life, I was approximately $30,000 in credit card debt.  God provided me a way out in two – five years each time.  I got financially educated during the second.  God saved me from me numerous times throughout my life, and things were adding up.  To me, God was writing a check that my love for Him couldn’t cash.  I heard of Him, read of Him, knew of Him, grew up in a church worshipping Him (I was mostly playing worship as a child), but I wasn’t into Him.  I didn’t love Him.  Through these situations, I believe God was speaking to me.  The problem was, I wasn’t listening very well.  Then there was an accidental firearms discharge where the bullet went through a wall, redirected after hitting something (probably a nail), appeared to redirect again after hitting a cabinet doorknob, bounced off a door hinge redirecting again, came between my legs and finally rested on the floor eight feet away.  Had I moved at all, I would’ve probably been struck in the lower legs.  Thank you Lord!

After my last crash, I started paying a little more attention.  God put people in my path to talk to me about Him, and I heard but didn’t really listen.  Mark 4:23-25 reads, Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”  Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given and you will receive even more.  To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”  The understand and pay attention part of this passage got past me, but the rest applied intensely.  You see, I was going through some things emotionally, financially, and professionally and no one seemed to notice.  But shortly after each incident, God favored me.  The disruption and hurt didn’t seem to last very long, and because of the determination, gifts, and talents He had given me, I quickly excelled again and was given prominent positions and assignments.  I was sharp and a go-getter and knew how to pick myself up.

I hadn’t given my life to Christ at this point and was too busy enjoying the life.  Matthew 16:25 tells us, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”  One of my last military assignments helped me focus more on life after retirement and gave me a lot of time to reflect.  It was then I decided to get back in the church.  I was tired of what seemed like avoiding God.  I called home and informed my family of the decision.  Later, I applied for a very prestigious position, with very high requirements, and didn’t even have to interview for the job.  The requirement to interview at this place is not taken lightly, but God.  He was continuing to show me favor, and I didn’t have a clue why. 

When I returned, I followed up on my commitment to get back in church, which appeared to anger the devil.  Satan began to reveal himself through my marriage, but I didn’t let it prevent me from professing Christ about six months later.  The marriage ended after another 12 years, and it hurt me more than I can express.  It felt like someone reached in and pulled my heart from my chest.  I did not want out.  Just as now, I don’t want out of my relationship with God.  Jesus Christ saved my life for Him. 

Matthew 13:15 states, “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”  The best decision I ever made in my life was to allow Jesus in.  He loves me more than I do.  So much so, He gave up His life on a cross, so I can have life eternal.  Through His death and resurrection, I am free from my sins.  He took the hurt away, loving me when I didn’t want to be loved.  He showed me grace and mercy, when I deserved to suffer the full consequences and punishment for all the wrong, I’ve done.  This time I got the last part of the passage.  I heard, understood, and turned, and my God healed me.  I became a beAr, and I am filled with joy that I did.  I believe I received this acronym through His Spirit.  To me, there’s no better feeling than to know that you are loved by God, part of His family, and life doesn’t end here on earth.  There’s a song by Imagine Dragons about how pain made them a believer.  God used pain from my life experiences, to make me a beAr.  I believe there is one God, one throne, One who can sit on it, and one Way.  I am a believer the Almighty reigns!