Meet Judy Richmond

God’s love had always eluded me. I grew up in a family where love was not expressed. This was further exacerbated by attending a church and affiliated school where acceptance and love were conditional and words were often harsh. In grade school, I dutifully memorized texts explaining that God is love, but not experiencing earthly love left a huge void and the inability to understand God’s love. For years, it was a foreign and impersonal concept.

However, thank goodness God doesn’t leave us where we are. 50 years ago, He blessed me with my wonderful husband, Fred, who taught me about unconditional love. Also, I began a long search for a connection with God by listening to television preachers and reading devotionals. Even though growing up I never read the Bible, I began to read the Psalms which gave me much comfort and encouragement. We ultimately became members of a mainline denomination church, but surprisingly gained my understanding of the salvation message through television preachers. After I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior as a young adult, I still had a long road to understanding God’s love.

Joining Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) about 12 years ago and Faith Bible Church a few years ago, enabled me to take a deep dive into God’s Word resulting in experiencing God’s love beyond what I could have imagined. In fact, in His mercy and grace, God allows me to see His love, not only in His Word, but in His amazing creation, a kind word expressed by a stranger, and our “family” in the Explorers adult community class at Faith, to name a few.

Additionally, in these familiar verses, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-6), God challenged me to look at love as much more than a warm, fuzzy feeling, but an intentional regard toward another proved by demonstrating these attitudes and actions.

Now, I thank God that I never have those doubts about His love for me. Even in difficult times, I know His love is deep and wide and that He’s controlling each and every aspect of my life for a greater purpose. And for that I say, “To Him be the glory…Amen!”