Relationship Is What We Need - Sherrie Vargo’s Story

Sherrie Vargo’s Story

Filling A Void

After unsuccessfully trying to have a baby, we were told by an infertility doctor it would be almost impossible for me to get pregnant. We had both given our lives to Jesus before we were married, but that didn't stop my husband, Joe, and I from deciding to make our careers and possessions our priority. I worked most weekends, so going to church and maintaining a close relationship with Christ was not first and foremost.

Trying to “keep up with the Joneses,” I got a new Audi, and my husband bought a new truck. We ate up our savings and started buying everything we thought we “needed” on credit cards. By allowing all the material things to consume our life, our "stuff" slowly became almost like an obsession.

I felt like there had to be more to being a Christian than just following rules.

Unexpected Gift

Then a year and a half after our doctor visit, we were surprised to find out I was pregnant.

Looking into our baby’s eyes, we felt an immense responsibility as parents, along with such conviction for being "romanticized" by the world into replacing Jesus as number one. God blessed us with another son, and we decided that we would let Him plan our family. Joe felt I should stay home with the children, and I was more than happy to. Over eleven years, God blessed us with seven children, three of which were born without health insurance. People ask us how we could possibly have raised them on one income and gotten debt-free. God provided in ways we never could’ve imagined.

For instance, one time Joe was asked to help load a truck with groceries for a homeless shelter. When the truck was full, he got to take what was left, providing us with groceries for about two weeks. Another time a gentleman we didn’t know (still don’t know how he got our number) contacted Joe about helping him construct a building on his property. The project paid for my C-section and all hospital bills for our third daughter’s birth.

Going Through the Motions

Because of this provision, we felt like we owed God, and we tried to pay Him back with religious efforts out of obligation. Prayer, Bible study, and church were activities to check off the never ending to-do list to earn God's blessing.

Relationships between everyone in the family became strained. As the kids got older it just got worse, until we weren’t much of a family anymore, more like strangers living together. Our relationship was with religion, not Jesus, and it took its toll. I felt like there had to be more to being a Christian than just following rules.

The Greatest Blessing

I wasn't sure what that looked like until God used our older kids to bring us to NewSpring Church. The same teenagers who’d been making excuses to not go to church with us were begging us to come. Intrigued, we checked it out as a family and immediately felt at home.

At NewSpring we began to realize that we had been tricked into thinking that if we went to church, tithed and followed all the rules we had certainly gained our status in God’s eyes.  Even though we were Christians, we had been settling for religion rather than relationship with Christ.

When our first child was born it felt like Christ dropped him into our lives to remind us of who He is and what miracles only He can perform. But as we tried to earn and control God's love we forgot to be amazed by God’s faithfulness and got lost in our religious routine. Jesus Christ revealed to us that apart from Him we can accomplish nothing, but through Him, He alone supplies so much more than we could ever imagine.