Where there is no vision, the people perish.
What is my vision for the next years of my life? This question was triggered by a favorite episode of "The Waltons" this afternoon. Life imitating art?
Steve's and my favorite television channel, the Gospel Music Channel, is well worth the monthly DirecTV fee, because we can now watch wonderful shows we never had time for during our work and childrearing days. The afternoons find Steve very worn out from relatively little activity, so a few hours of this quintessential "family" show daily fit his needs perfectly. Today's episode, where John-Boy failed at shooting a turkey but ended up killing a huge bear and saving his father's life, gave me the theme for this post.
What if I'm aiming too low? What if I'm thinking too small? I could very well be hesitating to pursue even a modest accomplishment, when God wants me to boldly pursue and achieve at a much higher level in an area of my life that I've not yet dared to dream of.
Jesus knows me, however, and Psalm 103:13-14 reminds me:
As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear
Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.
Even though Jesus knows His children need to start with small undertakings to build our confidence, He doesn't plan for us to stay there! Just listen to Psalm 8:4-5:
What is man that You are mindful
of him,
Or the son of man that You
visit him?
For You have made him a little
lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with
glory and honor.
I remember being a nervous wreck about running for School Site Council at Taft Elementary and then at North High School, but I won a spot on both with my platform of higher academics and parental involvement. Next I was elected PTA president at both schools, and in 1992, to the Riverside Unified Governing Board of Trustees! God had it all laid out, because in the next 13 years, He turned the district around, policy by policy.
It was the prayers of our Moms in Touch groups from Taft and North that met in our home that laid the groundwork, smoothed the rough spots, and carried me forward to fulfill God's vision--my thinking was way too small!
Almost 30 years ago, this young wife and mother was led by the Lord to write Bible studies on I & II Samuel, Galatians and the Gospel of Mark. The women who came to our home did the hand-typed, xeroxed and stapled lessons; I taught them each Thursday, and we all grew in the knowledge of the Word. By 1988, our 5th child was born, the last book had been taught, and away went the studies into a huge file cabinet in the garage of our new home. Of course I continued attending and leading in women's Bible studies at Harvest Christian Fellowship, and heading up the Willing Hearts, Willing Hands home arts ministry with my dear, very talented friends Linda and Bonnie.
Fast forward to 2011, and Galatians:An Exploration of Faith & Freedom, has been published, and made available in bookstores, online and at http://www.tatepublishing.com/. The twelve-week study was rated highly by Calvary Chapel Distribution and approved for use in their affiliated churches!
I'd definitely call leaving Bible studies in a file cabinet when God wanted to have them available to the public aiming too low! Now, encouraged by that accomplishment, I 'm following God's direction with a book on our Alzheimer's experience in the works.
Setting out to raise just two children (Sean and Kriss) was definitely "small thinking" compared with the vision God had for Steve's and my family. We also had Heidi, Heather and Steven. How Jesus has blessed us, completely overruling our small vision.
Even though we are not to "despise the day of small things" (Zechariah 4:10), we need to grow, be challenged, and be a light to those around us, showing forth the praises of God by the amazing ways He works in our lives.
We need to be obedient when God says "Go!"
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
AMEN.
No comments:
Post a Comment