Which Direction Am I Headed?
Life has its way of teaching us some important lessons if we will just take note of what goes on around us. In the last few days, I have heard some words come from the mouths of some women around me that have made me begin to think about my own life and its direction.
The first woman was responding to a greeting I gave her. When I asked how she was doing, she responded with “I’m hanging in there…hanging by a thread.” The surroundings didn’t really give me the opportunity to find out exactly what she meant by that, but it caused me to wonder about what was going on in her life.
The second woman was someone I didn’t know. She was walking in our neighborhood while we were enjoying a cup of coffee with our next-door neighbor who did know the woman. After introducing us to her, she asked her if she was helping with Vacation Bible School since she attends where her daughter goes to church. Her answer went something like this, “No, I don’t do much anymore. I go and sit in my pew and that’s about it.”
The third woman was teaching our Tuesday afternoon Ladies’ Bible Class. She is the mother of one of our members and is staying with her daughter and son-in-law for a few weeks. She is a walking wealth of information about the Bible. When she was asked if she would teach in our rotation while she was here, she readily agreed. Her knowledge of God’s word comes from years of study and teaching others about the Bible.
One woman was younger than I am (and I’m 68). One woman was about my age. One woman was several years older than I am.
The responses of these three women caused me to think about my own life and ask myself some questions.
- Am I merely hanging by a thread in life? I’m not making a statement about the depth of faith of the woman who made this statement, but it made me consider the depth of my own faith. Is it rooted and grounded in God’s Word so that when things aren’t going all that well I still will be holding firmly to God and His Word? Paul told the Philippians to, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, holding fast to the word of life…” (Phil. 2:14-16).
- Am I committed and engaged and active as a member of the church or do I merely warm a pew? I am fully aware that you cannot be involved in everything that goes on in an active congregation, but do I merely show up on Sunday morning and warm the pew? I know there are some who do well to make it to services because of age and health, but even that is an encouragement to others if that is all they can do. I need to ask myself if I am actively serving God and others. Do I have the servant heart that Jesus displayed when he washed the dirty feet of the apostles? (John 13)
- Do I use my age as an excuse to stop serving God? I get more tired now than I used to. There was a time when I could go all day, cook supper, and then attend a gospel meeting in our area. I have slowed down a little, but does that give me the option of quitting altogether? Whatever my God-given talent happens to be, I need to continue using it as long as I am able. I may change the way I do something, but I haven’t found a teaching in the Bible that tells me to stop serving. I want to be like that sister her taught us so well in class. She shared her knowledge of the Bible and her experience in life to help us understand God and His word even better.
Which direction are you headed????
“I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25).
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AUTHOR: Donna Faughn
