Monthly Archives: June 2014

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”—Maya Angelou

I have written many times on this blog about my deep love of Ann Voskamp’s book 1000 Gifts.

Counting the gifts that I am blessed with everyday has revolutionized my life and multiplied my joy. It has caused me to be awake to my life, to recognize the beauty of the moments before they pass away forever.

I was given a wonderful gift this evening, one that I will long remember.

Today was my son’s last day of high school. He celebrated by hiking up a mountain with some friends.

Meanwhile, my daughter and I went to see the movie The Fault In Our Stars. We both loved the book and in one of life’s most satisfying moments, the movie was just as good as the book.  The casting was perfect. There were plenty of laughter and tears. It was brilliant.

We pulled into the driveway at the exact same time as my son, who was just returning from his hike.

He made several trips into the kitchen with the contents of his locker, as well as his instruments that he had kept in the band room. My kitchen counters were littered with the assorted and random stuff that makes up an entire school year.

Then he walked in with a tall wooden chair that swiveled all the way around. He put it down in the corner of the kitchen. Turns out that one of his favorite teachers was getting rid of it and granted his request to take it home with him. Apparently, it is also going to college with him in the fall. 🙂

I took a seat on it and spun around a few times. And that’s where I stayed for the next 45 minutes as I talked with my kids.

My mom was at prayer meeting and Doug was at a business dinner. It was just the three of us.

They each sat on top of the kitchen counters while I spun. We talked and we laughed. They joked with each other. Josh showed us a book that his favorite English teacher had given to him. They discussed their favorite poets (Maya Angelou and Robert Frost). Josh read some of the things his fellow classmates had written in his yearbook. He expressed delight that nearly everyone said that he was one of the funniest people they have ever met. The talk turned to the upcoming graduation and subsequent parties we were all invited to.  Josh made fresh lemonade and we all nibbled on jellybeans.

And I paid attention. 

I was simultaneously participating in the conversation and savoring the moment, knowing that times like these will be fewer and fewer in the days ahead.

I gave thanks for all the years of homeschooling, when it was just the three of us during the day, sharing learning and adventures. Those days, while some of them were very difficult and trying, were such a gift.

I see that so clearly now. I didn’t always, then.

It ended all too soon. The kids went their separate ways and the downstairs got quiet.

And my heart was full as I watched the sky open up and pour down rain.

If you are a Christ follower, did you know that you are a missionary?

Missionaries are not limited to those who live in foreign lands in order to share the gospel. You are a missionary right in your own town.

I was reminded of this last night.

My husband and I ran into the local grocery store last night in response to our daughter’s text informing us of her urgent need for shampoo and conditioner. And as we turned the corner, there was a fellow parent from our son’s senior class.

She was widowed at the start of the school year. We had walked with her through the dark days of her husband’s diagnosis, his grueling and heartbreaking treatment, death, and funeral. Many tears were shed and sometimes when there were no words, we were able to give the gift of our presence. Our sons are both very actively involved in school activities so our paths have crossed often.

It can be so hard to know what to do in situations like this. Everyone responds to grief and stress differently.

So I did what I could.

I picked up my camera and took photos of her son at every school event that his dad was too weak to attend so that he could see what he had missed and feel like he was there.

When he was well enough to attend things, I took photos of him with his wife and his son. I snapped the last photo of him before his death: standing by the lake in the bright late May sunshine, proudly  wearing his hat that represented his 20 years of service in the Navy. After I clicked the shutter, I pretended to examine my camera so he wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes.

I offered to take walks with her and we covered a lot of territory in this small town.

One afternoon, I had been at the grocery store and drove all the way home before I realized that I had forgotten something. I admit that I was irritated as I ran into the store, bought the one item and rushed into the parking lot. It was cold and it was getting dark and I was anxious to get home.

This friend was just pulling into the parking lot next to my car. I could see that she had been crying, having had to escape her sad home where death was stalking her family, if even for a little while.

I knew then that this was a divine appointment.  We must have stayed in that parking lot for an hour that night. She poured out her pain and her questions and I listened.

I invited her to church. She politely declined the invitation.  I shared the hope of the gospel. She was not interested. I told her that I pray for her daily. She thanked me. We invited her and her son over for a family dinner at Christmastime and she was brave enough to try my cooking and lived to tell the tale. 🙂

In this, her son’s senior year of high school, she has shown up to every event, every awards ceremony, every band concert alone. We have arrived early to save seats, greeted her with a friendly wave and a smile, and rejoiced with her at her son’s many achievements and successes. I have continued to take photos, documenting her son’s senior year for her.

And last night, my husband and I stood in the shampoo aisle for nearly an hour as we talked and laughed and she & I predicted that we would be sobbing messes on graduation day next week. We agreed to do a lot more walking in the never-ending quest to be healthy forty-somethings.

On the way out of the store, we see one of my daughter’s classmates at the end of our aisle, cheerfully bagging our groceries. This girl lost her mama at the beginning of the school year. She has been to our home, eaten at our  table. There is never any mention of a father. So, I pick up my camera and I document her events and post them to her Facebook page since her mama isn’t here to do it. I ask her about her summer plans and encourage her as she gets ready to embark on a new adventure. We leave her with a smile.

Ministry can absolutely happen at the local grocery store.

This morning, I logged onto Facebook and saw that my friend  had written on my wall, thanking Doug and me for being “little bits of sunshine in my day whenever I see them.”

I felt led to share all of this to remind anyone who reads it that we are all missionaries. We all have a ministry.

As you can see, I did not do anything extraordinary here. I listened. I walked, I took pictures. I cooked a meal. I prayed. I shared the gospel when He led me to do so.

You can do the same.

All Jesus asks us to do is show up. To be available. To use what we have to bless others. God has gifted you with unique talents, experiences, and abilities. It is no accident that you live in the town you do and know the people you know. He is at work all the time.

There is so much need out there. There is so much pain and brokenness.

We are all broken somehow and we need each other.

In today’s Jesus Calling, Sarah Young writes: “Look at other people through the lens of Love; see them from My perspective…be radiant with the Light of My Presence.” (p. 168).

This world is a dark place. We know the One who is the Light of the world. Love people right where they are. Do what you can and leave the results to Him.

Shine for Him right where you are.

“…Get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God has called you to travel…Say only what helps, each word a gift…Keep company with (Jesus) and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of Himself to us. Love like that…Make the most of every chance you get…Forget yourself long enough to lend  helping hand…Do everything readily and cheerfully! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society: Provide people with a glimpse of the living God. Carry the light-giving message into the night.” (excerpts from Ephesians and Philippians, The Message version). 

This is the rich, blessed life.