Sheila Hamlin, Ministry Partner

My name is Sheila Hamlin. I am married and have two teenagers, Madison, 16, and Garrett, 15.  I was divorced from their father when they were three and two.  They have no memory of their father and me living as a family, which still saddens me.  I never would have believed that I would have ended up divorced with two kids but in 2003, I found myself living as a single parent.

I was raised in a Christian home.  My parents have only dated each other and are still married.   I cannot remember a time that I did not know who Jesus was but it took me almost 30 years from the time of my salvation to recognize that Jesus should be the Lord of my life.  My parents taught me to love and to show compassion to all people but for some reason I never understood that Jesus was to be the Lord of my life.  I spent my teens, twenties and most of my thirties praying to God in desperation but when He answered my prayers, I pridefully took all the credit.

I struggle daily on trying to instill in my children that they need to allow and rely on Jesus to guide their path.  They have both asked Jesus to be their Savior but I see similar struggles in their own life to allow Jesus to be their Lord.  The church does a great job of explaining that we need a Savior but very little in the way of explaining how to surrender and die to self.  Life does not truly begin until we recognize that we were crucified on the cross with Jesus Christ.  We are to die to ourselves and live for Christ and Christ alone.  It is a concept that eludes most but is the most important part of understanding how to live a life for Christ and not for yourself.

My heart is to help all understand that it is through our dying to self that we finally reach our potential and reach peace with our life.  I have to pray daily for the desire and will to die to self.  It is a daily struggle and there are days I stubbornly refuse to die to self.

In August, I will be starting a Christian Studies degree from Oklahoma Baptist University.  I am currently employed by an Oklahoma LLC and have my CPA license but my passion is to share the love of Jesus with others.  I am excited to join Parent Road Ministries with Nancy and Roger but painfully aware of my own inadequacies.  I have to remind myself that God does not call the equipped; He equips the called.  It is never the areas I feel I excel in that God prompts me to walk alongside others but rather to humbly walk with others in those areas that I have struggled and learned to lean into Him.  Thank you for the opportunity to share my life with you and your family.