Grandpapa is an 89 year old retired Preacher and has lost 2 of his 6 children and his wife in the past several years. He is blind in one eye and the hearing is limited even with the ear piece. His mind is as sharp as ever. I love our conversations about the world, life, family and the Lord. He is an amazing, generous and kind man! What I admired the most about him is his committment to prayer. Grandpapa faithfully prays for each person in the family by name and he even will send ocassional cards to remind us throughout the year.
Saying Good bye is never easy. One thing is for sure, when you are reminded about the fragility of life, your next day not being guaranteed, a fresh zest for life is ignited. Needless to say, Grandpapa got some extra hugs and lots of pictures were taken with him. Who knows, it may not be his last Christmas with us, but I am not going to make a gamble for "next time around" for our tomorrows, no matter your age, are numbered precisley by the One who created us. God holds our calendar dates. All we can do is live each day as our last and cherish each moment we are given. We loose this as our busy lives consume us. To Do's a mile long hurry us through our days.
Just this past year, I have had three friends face cancer and several who have lost loved ones. To say the least, not that I love them more than I did before this season in their lives, but I certainly appreciate them more. Days become more valuable and precious when you see each one as a gift.
During times of struggle, I find my heart is tuned in more closely to their needs~ whether emotional, physical and spiritual. If an opportunity comes up to be a help, then I am more than willing to help. As I pray for them in their time of need, my spirit is sensitive and humbled to stand in the gap for as long as God calls. Sometimes it may be a day to months to years. However the Spirit leads, what an honor to follow.
I didn't come to realize how important this was until I was on the receiving end for a season. Prayer is the most precious, practical and proactive thing another Brother or Sister in the body can give to another. It is the calling out to a listening God and caring Father. This is one huge way we can love eachother.
Each of us goes through trials. We will experience stormy seasons and lovely seasons full of rainbows and roses. Seasons can be 24 hours long or years at a time. Some as simple as mild irritations or they can be debilitating. For however long and for whatever it is, one thing is for sure...God's grace will take us through it one day at a time. AMEN!!! God is faithful and His promises are true, and kept!
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live." Ecclesiastes 3:1-12
I have noticed the wonderful ebb and flow even between my Husband and I over the nearly 18 years we have been married. It never fails that when one of us is going through a stressful time in life, things seem to be steady in the other's and he/she is able to give "more than" for a bit of time. Of course, there are times when he is the source of the stress in my life (or like wise for him) and what a blessing to have friends to encourage, support and help with love.
And it goes both ways in any realtionship. When one of the partners, whether marriage or friendship or even co-workers, there will be times when one person will need an extra measure of grace, mercy, compassion as they walk through "whatever." There are many different ways we can minister. A simple meal can seem like a golden feast to an exhausted person. When we walk through a tough day, our energy seems to hit all time lows and the thought of making a meal, ontop of the house, work and the kids can nearly push us over the edge of despair. Sure, they can call Domino's for a delivery or drive thru a fast food restaurant, but I could also just double my family's dinner recipe and drop it off as a blessing to their family. I could spend the day cleaning my house or helping a hurting friend clean hers. When I pick up groceries, it's easy to grab a needed item for my friend as well. Giving does involve sacrifice of self. It doesn't mean giving up self, but giving from self, funneling God's love to another.
I have been so blessed by those who have stepped out with a meal, running an errand, help with the other kids and met a practical need for me when I have been sick or one of my children were. Most often it was the simple phone call with a caring, encouraging voice on the other end to lift up the spirits!
Sometimes the simpliest forms of ministries is just loving simply. Not that we don't love everyone equally, but we cannot be best of friends with everyone we have ever met. We ought to love everyone with the Love of Jesus. Some are harder to love than others, sure. Each person placed in our life is for a reason. Maybe it is for them or maybe it is for us, or maybe both! Maybe becuase of our relationship with someone, it touches another person's life. Ministry happens where Love is. Loving others happens when we step out of our normal, self-revolving routine and step into the lives of others. Of course we should pray for each other but we are also called to be His hands and feet here on earth.
Next time you feel discouraged, look around you. God has given you extra measures of love and grace to carry you through. Look past the giant waves. Blessings will come in a million different forms from provisions, change of circumstances, timely, loving words, new friendships, and strengthening of seasoned friendships. When things are great, it seems every one is our friend but when times get hard, here is where you find the strength of those who are willing to continue to stand by you in the valley. Not everyone is "that" kind of friend. The friends who last the longest in the dessert are the ones who drink of the same Living Water as you. God supplies all that we need when we need it, in good times and bad, and that includes companionships.
During the last "season from Hell" I went through, I had never felt so alone and although I am blessed to know many wonderful and Godly people and have a family, including in-laws, that love me...I had never felt so lonesome. When I found the courage to cry out for help, I could count on one hand the number of those whom I felt would still love me, accept me and support me through this very painful and embarassing time in my life. God has blessed me with wonderful, Godly Sisters in Christ!! I am so very blessed. Over the years, their faithfulness and acceptance and encouragement have meant so much to me. It has been out of this overflow that I am then blessed to love, support and encourage another in their time of need.
We are not called to meet every person's needs, there would be no way even if we wanted to. Our broken world is full of pain. We serve a mighty God who has unlimited resources. Each of us are equipped with our own gifts and abilities to use in the Kingdom. We are called not to do every thing for every one. We are called to do our part. If we each covered the path He set out for us individually, imagine the amount of territory that would be covered?! Our lives would no doubt intertwine with one another's, making a strong cord of two or more gathered in His name!
We will love everyone but we will love everyone differently. And each person that we love, even that love will change in form as the seasons change. One will need more in the ebb and flow.
Life is our training ground~ God is training us to know how to be more like Him and Love Him and He is training us to share His Love with others. We are never to stand still. We are never to be self-sufficient or absorbed.
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Ephesians 5:1-2
Your life is not about getting what you want. It is loving God and loving others. Maybe the squeeky wheel does get the grease. When something is squeeking, it's needs our attention. That doesn't mean that all other wheels become unimportant, it just means that for a while, this squeeky wheel needs our extra love and attention for a bit. And it could very well become you favorite wheel because for a second, you thought you might loose it; therefore, all wheels seem to be a little more special and appreciated too.
Love God. Love others. Do not take advantage of the fact that there is always "next time." Do not love less, love differently, each according to their needs. What a joy to share His Love for the seasons!
Thanking God for not being a Seasonal God, but a God for all seasons.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind....
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—
he will be blessed in what he does. " James 1:2-6...22-24
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