Follow Me..Speak a Word..Wash Someone’s Feet
Trying to establish a healthy routine between being driven and procrastination, as a young Pastor’s wife, at times became overwhelmingly exhausting. So many demands and expectations.
Church back in those days consisted of every day events. Tuesday morning ladies Bible study, Wednesday night family night, Thursday morning pray. Somewhere in the schedule there was choir practice, women’s meetings, and children to raise, unfortunately in that order. Sundays always found a cooked meal at our table accompanied by guests who were spontaneously invited over for lunch, followed by a power nap before evening service.
While I passionately loved my role, experience and mistakes taught me to be more concerned about what Jesus was saying. When and where can I be most effective? How does he want me to live out my day?
Then life took a drastic turn. My husband Steve became ill and during that time, some life changing events occurred in our lives. He no longer could continue his life’s calling as a pastor. I was faced with changing roles as a pastor’s wife acquiring the responsibility of being the family bread winner. As a result, I opened and operated a Café for 15 ½ years.
Our little business became a second home to people who would come to celebrate their achievements and mourn their losses and sometimes just sit in a peaceful atmosphere after work. It gave me many opportunities to encourage, pray with and serve my customers. During that time, I also had the responsibility of being a care giver to Steve until he went into care four years prior to his passing.
Out of these experiences, a book was birthed and published, ‘When Troubles Fall Like Lemon Drops.’ I continue to have the opportunity to share my story in many venues across Alberta, and have distributed encouragement to many across Canada and other countries through my writings. I have been blessed to volunteer at the long-term care home where Steve resided as well as being part of an Advocacy Group for Seniors in Alberta.
Little did I know when washing dishes, scrubbing floors and pouring love into my homemade cinnamon buns that my future would be so filled with opportunities to distribute encouragement.
We never know what opportunities are waiting around the corner.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matt 25:35-40
Indeed. What we’ve been through ourselves becomes our fuel for encouraging others. Beautiful.