Three things from the Big E's

As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot pulled by fiery horses appeared. They went between Elijah and Elisha, and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm.  2 Kings 2:11

Our devotional today shared three ways to live our lives from the story of Elijah and Elisha. First, we are to walk forward in our faith and not be afraid of what the future holds. That’s tricky when you’re being told the future holds a whole mess of unpleasantness. I’m not certain about what all that will look like, but what I am certain about is who will be there with me. I can step forward into my future with certainty because I know I’m stepping forward into a future with Jesus. He’s gone before me and He’ll be there with me. He’s not asking me to do any of it on my own. So, with my hand in His, I’ll walk forward in my faith.

Next, we need to invest in the next generation. That’s been easier for me to do at other stages of my life. When my kids were younger I was homeschooling them, leading PE co-op, teaching classes at our academic co-op, leading youth group, etc. I’ve had seasons of leading women’s Bible study, being a part of mentoring ministries, even co-leading women’s ministries for a time. It makes the season I’m in now feel rather barren. I do what I can to continue to invest in my kids, both those I raised and those who have joined our family through them. I feel a strong calling to my blog. I don’t know how God uses it now, nor how He will use it in the future, but I trust that into His hands. My job is just to be obedient. Beyond that, I only know to be faithful to give my testimony where the opportunity presents itself.

Third, Elisha showed us that we are to honor those who have mentored and gone before us. There have been many of these people in my life, and some of them might be surprised to find themselves in my list. My friend, Sue, was the first person to teach me what it was like to walk with God, to have a quiet time, to stay aware of the work of the Holy Spirit around me. My friend, David, taught me how to pray. He taught me how to be real and simple. How to be thankful for the little and the big things. How to be focused and intentional (he always took his glasses off before he prayed). My friend, Nancy, taught me how to have fun and not take life too seriously. Though she lived with a constant weight of concern with her beloved husband, she always had a smile and a true, deep laugh – the kind that forces a snort or guffaw. She decided at some point in her adult life to stop caring what other people thought, and that was her super power. She taught me how to live authentically. I am so grateful for these and the many other people that God has brought alongside me as I’ve grown in Him to shape me into the person He has called me to be.

Here's the Thing: I’ve had this blossoming epiphany the last couple of days about how God has curated my life these last few years to prepare me for this season as well as what’s ahead. I’m sure that extends far back beyond the last few years to all the seasons I’ve shared with these friends and others. Perhaps that’s a blog post in the making, we’ll see. But the take-away here is that, as usual, God’s got it!