Yesterday when I was struggling with thoughts about leaving for Uganda and being gone for sooo long away from family and friends, I received a timely word of encouragement.
From my Marmee. : )
In a Facebook note, she said, "God has a calling on your life, Winkers!! I always like to think that even tho' the miles separate us in this life, we get to spend an eternity together!! Yea!! Go with God, Ruthie, and love all those precious folks for us over there in Uganda - being the hands of feet of the Lord!!"
"We get to spend an eternity together..." - I so much love that thought! The year and a half or so that I will be gone is less than a blink compared to the forever of eternity.
Last week at church camp, a friend used a powerful illustration to demonstrate the quickness (not sure that is a word) of life. He sprayed a mist in the air and after only 5-10 seconds, the vapor that had been clearly visible was untraceable.
As if God was reinforcing the message to my heart, my Bible reading today was in Psalm 90.
Verse 12 popped out at me:
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Or in the NLT:
"Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom."
And I love what my NLT commentary had to say:
"We number our years, not our days, but all of us have to live a day at a time, and we do not know how many days we have left. A successful life is composed of successful days that honor the Lord."
It is interesting that the Eternal God gave us bite-size pieces of time to work with - days, weeks, months, when a day is as a thousand years to Him. How we spend our days determines how we spend our lives. Each day is an opportunity to honor and glorify our Heavenly Father. And in a sense, no amount of time nor any seemingly "small" task is unimportant.
So whatever God has called you to today, do it for Him. Each day is important. And remember, someday we will get to spend a forever, never-ending glorious eternity with our Awesome God and the family of God. Let's get our work done!
P.S. Today is my final full day at home and it will be filled with packing and preparations. I fly out tomorrow (Thursday) morning and go to Wisconsin for a few days to see friends and supporters, before flying to Pennsylvania on Sunday to visit Leah. I leave the states on Aug. 11, from New Jersey and land in Uganda late Aug. 12. Your prayers would be so appreciated!
Ruthie, I can't believe you're already going back! It's true that time flies...thanks for the reminder to make every moment count by staying focused on our King. Safe trip, and may everything you do truly be used of the Lord for His glory!
ReplyDeleteP.S. and thank you for my beautiful scarf!!! I kept meaning to write a for-reals thank you note to mail to you, but...drat, it didn't happen!! I think it's absolutely lovely, and it has such a wonderful, soft feel and drape! Thank you! :)
I know, Sarah, I can hardly believe 3 months has passed and am heading east. :) Thank you for the encouraging words, and I am glad you like the scarf. :) Blessings to you in your ministry here!
ReplyDeleteI am praying for you, Ruthie! It makes me so sad that we never got to get together for tea, but at the same time I'm really glad we got to catch up at all the various events God provided! Godspeed on your journey!
ReplyDeleteLauren, thank you so much for the prayers! I am sad, too, that we didn't get to connect over tea, but still am grateful for the fun conversations at other times. :) Blessings to you! :)
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