The beginning of a relationship is filled with much joy, anticipation and expectations. When dating lead to marriage for Miriam and Bob Neff the world was ahead of them and God was leading the way.
"I met my husband at Indiana University. I was an 18-year-old person and we were in the same music class. He looked down at me with these beautiful brown eyes and this sexy baritone voice and asked me if he could walk me back to my dorm. That was the beginning of a walk of a lifetime," explained Miriam Neff.
Miriam was not a Christian when she married. But her husband was a devoted man of Christ. It was through her life partner that she would find her way to everlasting life.
"By the time we had been married for two years and I had watched his faith, I wanted not my superficial thing, I wanted the God of depth, the one that he (my husband) loved," said Miriam
And through their walk together Bob became an icon at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago; well known in the broadcasting arena. Miriam became a high school counselor impacting the lives of countless teenagers. Together they raised four wonderful children.
Looking back upon their wedding photo, their love for one another radiates beyond the paper on which their expressions were captured…and through the next 40 years they shared a lifetime together. Their life changed when Bob was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
"I would be lying to you if I didn’t tell you that I pleaded with God to spare his life. Now, is that me of little faith? Sure. You know what? I don’t apologize for that. I would like for our grandchildren to have had Grandpa longer than they did. I would have liked my four children to have had Dad longer. I would love to not be sleeping in a king-sized bed alone but here we are. This is what’s real," stated Miriam.
Bob died in April of 2006 and Miriam took on a new life with a new title. And like so many other journeys during her faith walk, Miriam was going to use her love for Christ to help others in her same situation.
"I want them to know that the resources that I’m offering aren’t because of me. It’s because I know God, I know He sustains me and every resource on my website is spiritually based. I want them to know that they are not alone. Most widows feel alone, they feel terribly alone and I understand that. They’re not alone. They’re so special to God that He talks about us 103 times in scripture."
"The most important thing; you are not alone. You have someone who cares immensely about you and He’s available 24/7. And you have some of us that can gather around you and encourage you.
Betsy asks...I hope this doesn’t sound like a naïve question but what’s it like being a widow? "It’s okay. I don’t expect you to understand but thank you for asking because it shows that you care enough to want to know. It’s incredibly lonely. Everything is different. The thermostat, the fridge, the shopping list, the taxes, the budget, the look in my children’s eyes when they come in our home, everything. There’s not one thing in my life that is like it was two years ago, not one thing," explained Miriam.
"Of course I was angry at God. Why couldn’t he have some other thing. But what God and I were able to arrive at together is that God didn’t make him sick, God allowed an illness, a disease of this world to attack his body. God knew that Bob would never deny Him and he would be a huge witness through that. So, when God and I got that together I was okay."
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