Philippians 1:6 (ESV) "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
"A spiritual marker identifies a time of decision when you clearly know that God guided you….This will help you understand God's activity in your life and give you a sense of direction as you face future decisions."
Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Daily
You may not call them spiritual markers. But looking back, can you remember instances that God was clearly moving in your life? Tell me about one of these…
"A spiritual marker identifies a time of decision when you clearly know that God guided you….This will help you understand God's activity in your life and give you a sense of direction as you face future decisions."
Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God Daily
- Jesus' Invitation: I was sniffling and it seemed like I had a cold, but really, it was because I was fighting back the tears of anguish of doing this big thing…At 13, I wore glasses and was awkward and shy. But somehow I knew when Rev. Edwardson, a missionary from Africa, invited a decision at our Jarrett Intermediate Inter-School Christian Fellowship Meeting, that I needed to make a choice. Ada Lum was at the meeting and I knew she would tell my sister, and I was afraid of the expectations she would have of me. But still…I sat next to Rev. Edwardson and Ada, and invited Jesus into my life.
- Marriage and the timing of it: To marry while my husband was in seminary was a decision that my parents warned me not to do because of the hardship of supporting him while he finished school. Wait, they said, but I examined the pros and cons of giving up this shared experience of seminary life and bucked against the desires of my parents. Those years away proved difficult but invaluable to me in growing up. The decision to marry dad has itself played out through difficult times emotionally and financially, but in richness spiritually as God has displayed His power to mend and continues to mend the broken pieces of our lives together.
- Stepping into New Jobs: I knew I was good as an administrative secretary; granting the needs of my bosses and making them look good in the process was my #1 pri0rity. But when it came to stepping out on my own, I asked for clear direction to do so, and in those 2 instances, they were painful. The first one left me with all loss of confidence, and the second, almost doing the same. Both times I asked God why He would do this to me, and begged for redemption out of the situation. I was let go from the first job and felt like a failure. After 2 months of unemployment, I was hired by Queen's for their Y2K Project, and became part of a team that was the finest, most cohesive demonstration of how good leadership can bring value to an organization. My confidence returned quickly. When the project ended, I was hired by the Medical Services Division at Queen's, and learned from the epitome of good bosses, Bob Hee. I sometimes laugh at his diplomacy of asking if I would do him a favor when it actually was my job! Towards the end of my 8 years with him, he told me I was finished with being an administrative secretary and needed to step into an independent position. Bob prepared me by giving me his writing projects from the corporate office and some research on federal laws for our Medical Services department. When I eventually took the job as a specialist for the Continuing Medical Education Department, this preparation served me well in my writing demands. I knew again that God had asked me to step out from this safety net into a free fall. However, more doubt, more loss of confidence ensued, walking from the bus stop to the office with the plea for redemption. I enjoyed my responsibilities that were growing me as a leader and organizer; I bemoaned the inflexible management style of my boss. Through these situations, I learned that God-led doesn't guarantee success and that there are seasons of change that are needed through personal experiences.
- Retiring on my birthday: It was just the 5 of us celebrating Bob's retirement with dinner at Kincaid's, Ruth's idea and her treat. Except for Bob's wife, Chris, we had all worked closely together and the conversation was lively and intimate. Chris' question of when I was retiring caught me off guard, but what flowed from my mouth were prophetic words that had no forethought: the end of the year. And it came to be that no further discussion ensued to question this decision; once made, it was unchangeable. The specific date was 12/13/13, the last working day before my birthday. Reid was to leave on 12/14/13 for Afghanistan, and I would be available to fill in for him. How did God know that this would be possible? Looking back, I thank Him now for this opportunity. The ensuing 5 months kept my life busy and helped me adjust to retirement feeling useful and needed, and I got to know the day-to-day Elly in the process.
You may not call them spiritual markers. But looking back, can you remember instances that God was clearly moving in your life? Tell me about one of these…