"Don't be afraid,
Just believe"...
Jesus said that in different instances as quoted in the Gospels. Michael and I are led by that and are thankful we discovered that short phrase...simple and powerful.
This morning M and I were talking about another powerful phrase that is relevant in our lives at this particular stage. Here's the basis for our thinking...
Someone I have come to greatly respect and admire described how he 'found God'.
Be patient, okay? First off, here's a little background...
M and I were both raised in a Christian atmosphere...never knew anything else, didn't question things. We married and raised our four sons the same way we were reared...they always
'knew God'. But the point is that there are multitudes in our surroundings who had not 'found Him'...right? Using the term loosely, we 'knew' God but had we actually 'found' Him?
We were taught nothing about the work of the Holy Spirit...that simply wasn't discussed in our small corner of the world. We didn't realize the importance of that and how it worked in our lives...for much too long a time. Thank God we awakened from our sleep. Wide awake, we are no longer afraid, we just believe...and it's totally awesome.
We've always been active in God's kingdom; M is a natural leader and has 'led' all his life. So, there we go...merrily we roll along, roll along, roll along...merrily rolling along...bump!
Well, rolling isn't quite so easy these days! Times change, lives change and we find ourselves not just 'growing old'; we are old.
There...I've written it for you to see (more importantly for me to see)...we are old. Being old when you've always been in the middle of things and a leader...what do you do when you find yourself 'old'? What in the world do you do?
Okay, here's where the new phrase comes in.
This person I've mentioned was returning from a mission along the Texas border; top down on his Jeep, enjoying the beautiful day, no traffic and...like the clouds, letting his thoughts drift...uh-oh. Happened to snap to the reality he was 'running on fumes'...uh-oh, uh-oh. No traffic, no sign of any gas stations...what to do?
So he prayed to God, "Please don't let me run out of gas". And he didn't. But he began thinking about that prayer, "I only pray to God when I need something. All the rest of the time I ignore Him." He thought back on how God has always protected, cared for him and he then determined to always, always walk with Him.
Okay, Michael and I were talking about this new phrase, "Please don't let us run out of gas". That's us...that's us two old people. We've been through a lot; sometimes it seems like more than a lot but God has protected and cared for us. And we constantly talk about we should be doing something that's part of a bigger calling.
Both of us have physical challenges; mine were active from my birth but guess what? I have grit! Michael never had physical problems 'til Amyloidosis (we call her Amy) moved in but she seems settled in a comfortable apartment in his throat. His doctors say, "He's one of the lucky ones" and "He's special". Don't we know it, yes!
We could say 'we're wiped out'; after all living in China for 2-1/2 years isn't exactly a walk-in-the-park...but we not only survived, we did it in God-style. He protected and cared for us every step of the way! We're still involved in His work there...that experience changed our lives...completely...and trust me, we're far from being wiped out.
But...but...there's that feeling!
Charles Kettering wrote: "Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down."
Okay, M & I still have much to offer and we continue 'going' (speeding, not...just keeping up with the traffic flow); but we gotta' stay gassed up, right?
Sometimes...sometimes...little things...words...phrases come along to touch our lives...yours too!
And so? Touched we are...by this simple prayer...this simple phrase.
"Lord, please don't let us run out of gas"...
From my heart...to yours,
Vasca
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