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I was reading that people come to a church and stay with it if it cares for them. I try my best to notice who is participating in the life of First Church and who is dropping out. I do care about all who are a part of our church family. But sometimes I wake up and wonder what happened to a person who has dropped out of our fellowship. I always wonder if I have done something wrong. I try to make contact but often it is too late. The person has made their mind up that God is calling them to a ‘better’ place. I am sure their are those who wonder if I really care for them. I am asking God to keep my heart sensative so that I can look within myself and see if my heart is where it should be before God and others.
Of course, I am not the entire church. It is not my responsibilty alone to care for all who come through the doors of our church. But I cannot nor should I use that line of thinking to ignore my own task. I ask for your prayers that I may continue to care for all of those whom God has sent my way. I also ask prayers that I will know how to show that care is the best way possible. I have a long way to go before I have mastered godly living at its best.
Leaving the house this morning I found the temperature outside to be somewhat of a surprise. It was cooler than usual for this time of year. It felt like a fall day more than a day in August. I walk a bit faster to warm myself up but the entire time I was amazed at the briskness. Life is filled with many mysteries that I cannot begin to unravel or explain. I cannot explain the weather. To me it just happens. Oh, I know there are certain things that cause other things to occur. But behind all the knowledge there still seems to be a factor that is beyond my comprehension.
God is in many ways a mystery,too. He works when and how He wants to and how all this is done is way beyond me. I wonder sometimes if I try to limit God and how He works. Too easily I think I know what God likes and does not like. My mind seems to want to solve all the mysterious parts of God so there are no more questions. Today I am trying to be open to more questions and less answers.
I love my home town. This past week I returned there for a visit. I needed to see my dad who is recovering from a stroke. He is doing much better. I was greatly encouraged. His minds seemed to me to be sharp and his speech is coming back. He even stood up on his own legs and is starting to walk again. But back to my home town. I stayed at a local motel. (I did not want to burden my mom with company. My son was with Phyllis and I) This hotel is new and a wonderful place to stay. They also have an indoor swimming pool.
I had arranged to have a meal with a niece whom I had not seen in several years. She meet Phyllis, Markus (my son) and I at a local pizza place. She brought along her two small daughters. After the meal we went to her home and saw her home. The daughters showed us their rooms and toys. It was a wonderful visit. I told her that she could bring her daughters to the motel to swim and she took my up on the offer.
When I left town I was so happy I had been able to re-connect with one of my nieces. It felt good. She has even emailed me since the visit. I think God is delighted when we re-connect with loved ones. I know I need to work more on this issue and I am asking God to help me do it correctly. I do know it feels good.
For me today begins the start of another week. Mondays seem to be a catch up day for me. I go to a staff meeting on Monday mornings and review the past week and see what needs await us this week. This along with various other activities make Mondays a busy yet exciting day. Today I celebrate the fact that I can work and be involved in life. I guess I am in a festive mood because it has been one week since my dad’s stroke and he seems to be responding positively each day. His body is responding with movement and his speech is slowly coming back. In my opinion his mind is gaining clarity and focus. So, today I rejoice that I am healthy and able to work and that my dad is gaining strength each day. That worthy of a shout or two.
I wish that life did not cause us to struggle. There are many moments that come our way that we may not enjoy but they do provide some depth to our lives. My dad’s stroke is not something I would wish on anyone but it has caused me to look at life through a different lens which has forced me to examine many aspects of living. It has in fact caused me to float some praises up toward heaven for all I have. I hope I can continue to see life as a great gift.