There are people we meet in our journey that touch our hearts so deeply, it is hard to describe. Of course our parents and our families play a huge role in who we are and I am thankful for my parents and love them dearly, but this morning I have been thinking about those others that God has put in my path. Some of these people are people that sow years into us, helping us to grow and become the people that God sees inside of us. Those that make us want to be better… Carolyn Quinn prayed with me the day I asked Jesus into my life and has loved, mentored and helped to pick me up ever since. She is a so precious to me, I am so thankful that God placed her in my life and I am beyond blessed to know her, her endless love and mercy towards me presses me on to be better. In my saying "better", I am not talking about a beating myself up because I am not perfect thing. I am meaning that there are those people God puts in our lives that press us on to know Jesus more, to give up more of self and dive headlong into the deep with Him as they have, as if they are in the deep end of an endless pool urging us on to "jump in, the water is fine!"
Then there are those that are in our lives for a season, however long that may be. When I think of my dear friend and mentor Orvilla Brown, my heart fills with wonder. Although she was older than my grandmother when we met, there was no age difference in our friendship. Even as I write my heart aches with missing her… she "got" me without me having to explain, she saw the gifts of God in me and drew them out of me, she filled me with the goodness of God through the stories of His faithfulness to her and her prayers and prophetic insight. She may have been outwardly frail, but inside she was a powerhouse - strong, faithful and loving - everything I want to be. She knew Him so intimately, our visits were filled with His presence and she urged me on to go deeper, to press on to know Him more… to love Him and His kids, to press on and be better.
Pat Johnson, afflicted with ALS and yet taught me many "sermons" by the example of her life. This amazing woman always made me feel like I left with treasure within whenever I spent time with her - she would thank me for coming and I would be overwhelmed knowing that I was the one leaving blessed and hoping that I was blessing her even just a small percentage of how much she blessed me. I visited her once in the hospital, she was having trouble speaking, but she told her best friend to ask me if I could stand where she could see my face because she could see Jesus in my eyes. It completely wrecks me every time I think of it because it was the most amazing thing anyone has ever said to me. She said that it gave her the comfort of the Lord to look in my eyes. I looked into hers and saw a superhero of a woman inside a body that could no longer hold this amazing woman who did more in my spirit in that one instant than a thousand sermons. The nurses called her Sunshine and her funeral was filled with caregivers she led to the Lord through her journey. I am so thankful I knew her, she made me want to be better...
Some seasons are short ones, shorter than we want them to be, maddeningly short. I found out last night that a season that I had hoped would be longer is not to be. I am trying to look at the positive and be thankful that I had the season at all, no matter how short, and I AM thankful, but so sad also… it is so hard sometimes to let go of something we don't want to be over with yet. I met Pastor Myra in such a God way and our hearts connected immediately, I wanted more time with her, but I guess with truly amazing people we meet, we ALWAYS want more time with them no matter how long we were blessed to have them in our lives. They add such a richness to life that we want them to be a part of it always. Yes, I know we have eternity together and yes that is a comfort, but yes, I still wanted more time with her here on earth. In the little time I knew her, she displayed such love, grace and anointing of God, she made me want to be better.
Like all of us, I could write a book about all of the amazing people God has put into my path … I am so very thankful to God for all of you, my wonderful friends that have meant so much to me and I want you to know how much I love and appreciate you! To those that I miss so much, I am thankful that God put them in my life and that I will one day be reunited… until then, I hold the richness of my season with them, the gift of God they sowed into me and I pray that I become all that God has for me to be, that their sowing was into good ground in my heart, that I give all the love He desires me to give and continue to be urged on to press on by their memory and how they saw the gift of God in me. There is still so much to do, so many who do not know His love, so many that see no worth in themselves, I want to be one who sees Him in the eyes of another who can't see it in themselves and help them to press on…
Philippians 3:7-14 (NKJV)
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:7-14 (NLT)
7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[a] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,[b] but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
