One Day At A Time Together
I will remember Friday, March 13, 2020 for the rest of my life. The impact that day made will be felt for a long time to come. It has been a whole month. Schools are closed. Any businesses deemed non-essential are closed. We are supposed to work from home if possible and kids who would normally be in school are e-learning at home. Sunday morning worship and services are watched online from home. If you are not an “essential worker” you are only supposed to leave home to get essential items or if it is medically necessary. When you think about all the days that have already passed without our usual daily routine and personal contact with others, it can make you sad. Thinking about how many more days there are to come can make you feel hopeless. In This Time There Is Hope Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lamentations 3:22-24 Instead of looking ahead at all the days we have left sheltering in place, focus on today. God gave you today, so what can you do for Him today? Shifting Focus Is there someone you know who is having a difficult time right now? You can do an old-fashioned phone call! Or you can choose a more modern method of communication. There are many different video options available like Zoom, Google Duo, Skype and others. Sometimes hearing a familiar voice and having a good conversation can brighten someone’s day. Send thank you cards, or if you are able to, make a donation to local hospitals for all the staff on the front lines because they are risking their lives by treating those infected with COVID-19. If you have to go out for essentials, do your part and make sure to stay at least 6 feet away from others. Show kindness, respect and patience to those who are working in the service industry since this is a scary time for them not knowing if they will become infected while they are working. There are so many different things we can still do for others while social distancing, and you can probably think of even better ideas than I did. When you think about what you can do for others at this time, two things happen: You are honoring God, because Jesus said: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” – John 15:12 2. You are not worrying about tomorrow: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:24 We will all get through this together one day at a time.
Saying Yes To Jesus
The Before My vision for myself 5 years ago is very far from where I actually am. Five years ago, I was a full time mom working part time at the same job I had for the previous 10 years. I had absolutely no foundation in the church at all, but I had a longing. I was in a “secure spot”. When I say secure, I mean I was comfortable with my predictable routine. I am a true introvert by nature, but a piece was missing from the puzzle. Things started changing when I decided to take a drive and explore a bit since I was relatively new to the area. I drove down Bell Road and saw new construction of something big. My curiosity was peaked. “What are they building in the middle of a cornfield?” I wondered. It stayed in the back of my mind. I would drive past every so often. The Village Christian Church sign appeared and I was drawn to it. It took some time, but I finally got up the courage to stop by one day during the week (I said yes). I went inside the office and was greeted by Karol. She took me on a tour of the building, asked me questions, answered my questions and made me feel welcome. I brought my kids to church that Sunday (yes). After The First Yes Here are some highlights that have happened since (a bunch more yeses): I started attending The Village in February 2017. It was scary at first, not knowing anyone, but I started volunteering at the church office and met some awesome people. An opportunity to work part time in the office became available and my husband encouraged me to quit the job I was at for 14 years (again, really scary!) I joined a Lifegroup and then felt the pull to get baptized. I participated in the first Rooted session that was offered and God laid some things on my heart during that time. A Google search led me to Moms In Prayer International, a ministry that I am very passionate and excited about. More hours became available to work at the church office. The most impactful event happened when I began “A Discipleship Journey”. It’s a 48 week in depth study of learning to teach others to be disciples so they can teach others to become disciples. Things started to really come together. I want to be clear when I say I did not plan any of this. I still get stuck sometimes when I’m presented with a new experience outside of my “comfort zone”. Then I look at the journey I have been on for the last 3 years and I know there is no turning back. I’m not the same person I was 5 years ago. God has been leading, opening doors, and doing some major renovations in my life! Game Changer It has become very clear after I completed the “Discipleship Journey”: Saying yes to Jesus is LIFE CHANGING! This is what we are here for. It is the way we live, what we say, and how we approach and see others. If you are truly looking for a purpose in your life, this is it. Every person who accepts Jesus into their hearts and makes a commitment to having a relationship with Him is qualified for this job. Our life changing stories will help others to find and follow Jesus so He can change their lives and have a committed relationship with Him too. Can you imagine the amount of lives that would be changed if we all committed to disciple someone and be intentional? What purpose could be more important? I never thought of myself as a teacher or mentor or that I was qualified to lead anyone else. And I’m not on my own, but because of what God has done in my life I’m free to say with confidence, “Yes! He can do this for you, let me show you!” Matthew 9:37-38 says: He said to the disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers in his fields.” I challenge you to say yes! Come and be an answer to this prayer!
Who Are You Thankful To?
God has surely been very good to me. I have more blessings than I can count! One such blessing is I had the opportunity to volunteer in my son’s kindergarten class during the school year. I helped with the classroom parties, and I was able to chaperone the end of the year field trip. Another blessing, my son’s school sees the value in, and teaches the children to say “thank you”. At the end of each school year, breakfast is held in honor of all the volunteers; classroom, lunchroom, recess, and chaperones. During this time, each class comes into the cafeteria to say thank you in their own special way. They do this with a cute song, poem, or handmade thank you cards. It was absolutely adorable! It melted my heart and reminded me of all the things I am thankful for, and who I am thankful to. “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1 What I’m getting at is, we all need to remember to be thankful, first to God, and also to the people around us. We all have people in our lives who go above and beyond and deserve a genuine Thank You. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Maybe when you give thanks to those special someone/s in your life, they might be reminded of all the things they are thankful for, and in turn give their thanks to God and the special people in their lives too. Let’s start a thankful movement! “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” – Colossians 3:17