Faith Through the Journey

All of us need to have a purpose, a reason to get out of bed in the morning. For Christians, our most important work is to glorify God. Within that broad spectrum, God is so gracious to give us each a unique purpose, an assignment for each day. During the past few weeks, it seems that my chief occupation has been preparing for surgery, having surgery, and recovering from surgery. My, doesn’t that sound glorious?! I’ve grown weary of thinking about myself. Although it’s been necessary to go through this process, and I’m still not done, I want to get on with the rest of whatever God has in store for me. For a young mom, there is no question about how she spends her days–they are long and don’t have enough hours to do all that needs to be done. For young professionals just beginning their careers, the hours they spend at their chosen professions will hopefully yield the fruit of establishing excellent reputations. For the young wife, learning how to be a godly woman and support her husband with her prayers and words of encouragement, as well as learning how to manage her household well, fill her days with purpose. For the college student, studying long hours in order to prepare for difficult tests and write the papers that will show their mastery of their subject matter, occupy their waking and often their sleeping hours. Men and women who have been in the workforce for awhile have become comfortable in their occupations, and have learned the balance between how many hours are  enough to spend at the office and when they need to leave it behind for the day.

During the years since our youngest child left home for college, I have found myself looking for my next “work”, what to do to fill my days purposefully. Because of the grace of God, I will never wake without purpose. “Lord, what do You want me to do this day?” Every day is a gift from Him, and He has allowed me to do some of my favorite things in the days and years since I worked myself out of the stay-at-home mom job. One of my greatest joys has been the opportunity to travel with my husband for both work and politics, and spending time together has reminded us why we chose to get married over 30 years ago! My ministry to my family has included increased time to pray for each of them, one of the most important uses of my time. So, even though I don’t necessarily have a structured “job” at this point, God is allowing me to have many different opportunities, and I pray that I will do each one to the best of my ability and bring glory to Him.

“Let your servants see what You’re best at–the ways you rule and bless Your children. And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us, confirming the work that we do. Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!” Psalm 90:16, 17, The Message