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Today finds me airborne over the ocean toward England. I will once more be walking the cobblestone streets of Oxford instead of hiking the trails of Colorado. What a wonderful holiday season I have had. Nathan and Keelia have been home with Clay and me. The rhythms of life have gone soul deep—Keelia, my daughter-in-law has made us her own special egg sandwiches for us each morning, followed by strong steaming coffee, with hours of rousing discussions about every subject in the world. Daily calls to the rest of our sweet ones have added flavor to the moments of our days.
Through so many years, the days were repetitive, me, with all of my heart, teaching truths, reading and discussing great ideas, thousands of meals and dirty dishes to be dealt with, attitudes to be corrected, a little math and science thrown in along the way. Days were exhausting and sometimes I wondered if all of my effort and energy were making even an iota of an impact or if my work mattered.
Yet, Clay and I would speak of biblical endurance—which in the original language means to “remain under the weight.” It was the grace of endurance, to remain under, that caused us, eventually to see the beautiful work God was doing in all of our lives. One day, one step at a time, and a legacy emerged of love, faith, fully flourishing adult children—all by grace.
As I look back, I am sometimes amazed at the ways God has led, lessons learned, souls were shaped, faith grew. It all started when I made a quiet commitment to Him. I was by myself in a very small hotel room, reading my Bible on a getaway. It was as though the Lord whispered, “Will you be mine? Serve me? Follow me anywhere?” I wanted to be His, I wanted to serve Him with all my heart. I said, “Yes, if you will help me.”
And as I look back, many seasons were challenging, amidst lots of joy mingled with love. But I see that He blessed me, stretched me, helped me, deepened me through walking with Him day by day. Now the story continues in a different continent, but He is still leading.
Friends, your love, serving, faith matters so much today.