Becoming a Woman of Purpose

My current Bible Study these days is Becoming a Woman of Purpose, by Cynthia Heald. It’s a journey of faith-filled scriptures about loving God and others, waiting on Him with hope, trusting Him when I’m suffering and serving Him with a reverent fear and ultimately, fulfilling His purposes. You would think my favorite chapter would have been the one on embracing suffering and glorifying God in my pain. We Melancholies thrive on emotional adversity because we know first hand it leads to our profit and God’s glory unlike the Sanguine who knows how to lead us to joy and laughter, or the Choleric who teaches us how to work hard or the Phlegmatic who never gets riled and remains peaceful. But no, my favorite chapter so far has been the one on waiting on God. The author cites Psalms to review that remind me of my own turbulent emotions when I can’t control a situation and how God steadies me. She teaches about the promises in God’s word in Genesis that foretell that one day Abraham and Sarah will, indeed, bare a child which they eventually did, but they messed up their lives and the lives of others with their unbelief before they got their promised infant. So what has changed from the days of Abe & Sarah? Nothing. We’re still impatient. This chapter hits home for us in our family right now. We eagerly await our first grandchild who is fashionably late in getting here. This birth is so suspenseful! My techie daughter and son-in-love have put aside all the gender revealing gadgets and I don’t even know the sex of this little one! That’s okay. I found a word from God to base all my hopes on…..Lamentations 3:22, 23. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Today is a brand new day…maybe the baby will be born today.

Comments

The Daisy House

I work at my desktop with the children at my feet. A makeshift area rug made of white butcher paper lines the floor where the baby, crayon in hand, imitates her big sister. Sister focuses on the finishing touches of the house she designed. The catchy children’s song, Wheels of the Bus, blasts from the Toddler Station on Pandora Radio. Six year old Sookie unveils her masterpiece and I ooh and awe at the sketch. “It’s a daisy house!” I exclaim. “I love the colors. I wonder what the inside looks like.” Without hesitating, Sookie describes each room. “There are five rooms and they are all different colors. One is Mint Chip, another Strawberry. There is a Vanilla room, and a Cookies & Cream room and the last room is Rocky Road. You have to wear a sweater inside because it is very cold.” “A house made of ice cream,” I reply. “It sounds heavenly!” I dug into my Bible readings that morning ...

A Memorial Day Reflection

Memorial Day is always noteworthy for me and my girls. Next Thursday marks the third year of missing their father, my husband. So many thoughts run through my mind. The journey of loss takes on various emotions. The strongest feeling, at first, was emptiness. In a split second, I would forget he departed forever. I imagined things I needed to talk to him about when he got back home. My mind is realistic now. He's not coming back. There will be no more times of sitting on the porch swing together on the front deck staring at the moon and the stars. He would tell me all he knew about the majestic night sky. I have so much I wish I could tell him, like the excitement of seeing our oldest grandchild make a decision to follow Jesus and get baptized on Mother's Day! And our little Amy, 11 years old, I wish he could have seen her on stage receiving her induction to the National Honor Society. Our daughters have their own ...

The Final Chapter

Are you like me when you join a new group of people? Do you navigate the crowd wondering where you fit in the best? I felt insecure when I joined Word Weavers, a Christian writing group in our town. Liz and Tony welcomed me with their accepting smiles. It meant a lot. I sat with Liz in a small critique group one week. I leaned in close so we could share a writer’s paper together. She mentioned she would passively kick back and listen because she felt sick that day. Tony kept his eye on her walking over with a plate of cookies and a hug for his wife. But Liz did not eat. Last week, Liz passed away. I attended the memorial service where I learned that Liz was a dreamer and fought for her dreams up to the very end! Liz’s dream, her third book Jamie , came true. The publisher approved her manuscript and moved heaven and earth to get the story printed in book form and delivered to Liz. ...

Choose Joy in the Journey

Search This Blog