Hello! It's a beautiful, warm sunny spring evening here which is very welcome after an extended onslaught of heavy rain. This past weekend I made a quick trip by myself to spend a day with my brother who is a missionary serving literally on the other side of the world. He was only in the States for another couple of days, and I hadn't seen him in nearly 2 years, so after work last Friday evening off I went. It was a fast but good weekend with him and with my daughter and her family, but then that rain moved in on Sunday and made for a long, stress-filled trip back home. My husband is out of town for work, so it's been a LONG week here by myself!
If you fall into the category of one of my younger readers, you may not really understand or relate to the first part of this post. But as I have been reflecting over the past couple of weeks, I have felt keenly aware that I have entered into the realm of "older women." I'm not really sure why my age has become so apparent to me. It's not like it happened overnight! I do have 10 grandchildren, after all! Maybe it was going to the eye doctor recently and learning that my vision has gotten worse again and I need not only a new pair of glasses, but a second pair for when I am working on the computer. Maybe it's the five pounds I have recently put on which drive me crazy and I can't seem to get rid of. Maybe it's seeing other women with cute haircuts or stylish outfits and then realizing that they are probably my daughter's age. Maybe it is because I am not quite as fast to learn new things as I always have been. I've been talking to new friends and realizing I am quite a few years years older than they are. Regardless of what led to this realization, it's a new feeling to look around and realize I am one of the older women there. I still feel the same as I always have - well, most of the time anyway!
There are, however, certain advantages to being older - although I'm not yet old enough for some senior discounts or medicare. I have learned a lot, experienced a lot, and know how to do a lot of things. I have more confidence and am not as easily shaken. I know what I am good at and what I am not. I have been married for 41 years. I have acquired a fair amount of wisdom. Most importantly, because I became a Christian at a very young age I have had over 50 years to walk with the Lord. There is nothing more precious than that!
I'm what Titus 2:3-5 refers to in the KJV as an "aged" (or mature) woman. I love it that God gives direction in His Word to women and what He expects of them. And specifically, He has entrusted to us older women the responsibility of mentoring the younger women in our lives. Susan Hunt in her book Spiritual Mothering defines mentoring as "investing in the lives of others in a nurturing way that we share the gospel as well as our lives with them." It means showing them how it's done, and sharing our lives. It goes back to the Biblical mandate of one generation teaching the next the goodness of the Lord. It means taking a personal interest in the younger women around us and being willing to invest ourselves in them. As a younger woman, it is so helpful to have someone come alongside who has already walked the road we are walking and can give some insight as well as some practical help. As an older woman, it gives purpose to our lives to be able to share the benefit of what we have already experienced.
So what kind of things are we to mentor in? Titus 2:3 says we are to be "teachers of good things." The word that is translated "teacher" has the idea of both personal example and Godly wisdom. The "good things" are actually the characteristics that are listed in Titus 2:4-5. There are so many ways that we can come alongside and encourage the younger women in our lives in their marriages, their mothering, and their walk with the Lord. All it requires is a willingness to invest in others, and some time and creativity on our part.
So as for me, I'm going to change my perspective on getting older. I want to be able to be a blessing and invest in the younger women God brings into my life with the intention of helping them and glorifying God in the process. After all, that is His perfect plan.
Thoughtfully,
Kathi
The Light in My Window
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Saturday, April 15, 2017
More Than These
Good morning! It's a beautiful sunny spring Saturday morning here, and it's been too long since I have been at the blog. It has been an eventful few weeks, but more on that later. This weekend is Easter weekend - that time when we reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross. He paid the ultimate price for our sin with His own life, but He is alive! Without the resurrection we would still be without hope!
This past week in preparation for Resurrection Sunday, in my quiet time with the Lord I have been re-reading passages about the crucifixion and resurrection and meditating on them. I parked for awhile in John 21. It was after the resurrection and Jesus had just revealed Himself to His disciples. Put yourself in their place and think about how they must have felt. They had been completely broken and discouraged at the death of their beloved Jesus. I can't begin to fathom their joy when they finally understood who He was and that He really was alive. But it was verse 15 that really stopped me, when Jesus put this question to Peter: "Lovest thou me more than these?"
"More than these". I couldn't stop thinking about what the "these" refers to. I think it means anything that we are loving and holding onto more than the Lord. Those things that keep us from loving Him and trusting Him like He wants us to. I think "these" is different for all of us.
This Easter is once again a first for us - the first time in 22 years that we are not celebrating the Resurrection with a congregation that my husband is pastoring. Easter weekend was always one of my favorite, and also one of the busiest, times of the year for us. My husband always liked having a Good Friday service, and we also often had Easter sunrise services. I recall many years and precious memories of Easter breakfasts, cantatas, and special services. It was busy, but we loved it - and we truly did those things with the intention of giving God the glory for the death and resurrection of His Son. I miss those times so much.
Along with missing ministry life, as I already mentioned the past three weeks have been full of events both good and bad. Last weekend, I was privileged to have the wonderful opportunity to speak at a Mother-Daughter Luncheon at a church in northern Maryland. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the Lord was so gracious in giving me clarity of thought and the words to hopefully encourage the ladies there in their walk with the Lord. He also answered my prayers for safety since I drove up and back by myself. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to speak or teach for a year and for one who loves it as much as I do, that has been hard. I am trying just to wait upon the Lord and trust Him.
Two weeks ago tonight, I took my husband to the emergency room in the middle of the night for chest pains and pressure that he began experiencing at work. The doctors were concerned because he has an extensive family history of heart disease and because of his symptoms. It was a stress-filled two nights and two days in the hospital while many tests were run, and we were so grateful when all of the results came back that it was not heart related and he was released.
Presently my husband is at the doctor for a bad burn he got on his arm at work a few weeks ago that has become badly infected. He has a busy week of work ahead of him, and then will be out of town working at another restaurant location for a week. So now you can see what I mean about it being a crazy time for us here. And while all this is going on, I am still adjusting to my job and a new routine working full-time. I can't help but think about the differences between a year ago and now, and these events being a part of His plan for us.
As I ponder all of this, the answer to the "more than these" question came to me. For me, the "these" means the past and all the unanswered questions. I think the Lord was asking me if I love Him more than wanting to know the answers. Do I love HIM more than I love the ministry? Do I love HIM more than things I don't have anymore and more than people that I miss? This has been such a convicting question for me to mull over.
We all have the "these" in our lives which threaten to keep us from loving God like we should. It may be our possessions, our home, our families, our friends, our jobs, our hopes and dreams...the list is endless. Once we recognize that there are "these things" that we love more than we love Him, we then need to surrender them to Him and learn to trust even those things to His wise providence.
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Love,
Kathi
This past week in preparation for Resurrection Sunday, in my quiet time with the Lord I have been re-reading passages about the crucifixion and resurrection and meditating on them. I parked for awhile in John 21. It was after the resurrection and Jesus had just revealed Himself to His disciples. Put yourself in their place and think about how they must have felt. They had been completely broken and discouraged at the death of their beloved Jesus. I can't begin to fathom their joy when they finally understood who He was and that He really was alive. But it was verse 15 that really stopped me, when Jesus put this question to Peter: "Lovest thou me more than these?"
"More than these". I couldn't stop thinking about what the "these" refers to. I think it means anything that we are loving and holding onto more than the Lord. Those things that keep us from loving Him and trusting Him like He wants us to. I think "these" is different for all of us.
This Easter is once again a first for us - the first time in 22 years that we are not celebrating the Resurrection with a congregation that my husband is pastoring. Easter weekend was always one of my favorite, and also one of the busiest, times of the year for us. My husband always liked having a Good Friday service, and we also often had Easter sunrise services. I recall many years and precious memories of Easter breakfasts, cantatas, and special services. It was busy, but we loved it - and we truly did those things with the intention of giving God the glory for the death and resurrection of His Son. I miss those times so much.
Along with missing ministry life, as I already mentioned the past three weeks have been full of events both good and bad. Last weekend, I was privileged to have the wonderful opportunity to speak at a Mother-Daughter Luncheon at a church in northern Maryland. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the Lord was so gracious in giving me clarity of thought and the words to hopefully encourage the ladies there in their walk with the Lord. He also answered my prayers for safety since I drove up and back by myself. Again, I haven't had the opportunity to speak or teach for a year and for one who loves it as much as I do, that has been hard. I am trying just to wait upon the Lord and trust Him.
Two weeks ago tonight, I took my husband to the emergency room in the middle of the night for chest pains and pressure that he began experiencing at work. The doctors were concerned because he has an extensive family history of heart disease and because of his symptoms. It was a stress-filled two nights and two days in the hospital while many tests were run, and we were so grateful when all of the results came back that it was not heart related and he was released.
Presently my husband is at the doctor for a bad burn he got on his arm at work a few weeks ago that has become badly infected. He has a busy week of work ahead of him, and then will be out of town working at another restaurant location for a week. So now you can see what I mean about it being a crazy time for us here. And while all this is going on, I am still adjusting to my job and a new routine working full-time. I can't help but think about the differences between a year ago and now, and these events being a part of His plan for us.
As I ponder all of this, the answer to the "more than these" question came to me. For me, the "these" means the past and all the unanswered questions. I think the Lord was asking me if I love Him more than wanting to know the answers. Do I love HIM more than I love the ministry? Do I love HIM more than things I don't have anymore and more than people that I miss? This has been such a convicting question for me to mull over.
We all have the "these" in our lives which threaten to keep us from loving God like we should. It may be our possessions, our home, our families, our friends, our jobs, our hopes and dreams...the list is endless. Once we recognize that there are "these things" that we love more than we love Him, we then need to surrender them to Him and learn to trust even those things to His wise providence.
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Love,
Kathi
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