Being
Prepared
I am
the LORD
your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in
the way you should go.
Isaiah
46:17
Jo
had grown up on a farm. She toiled alongside her brothers in the
fields, picking up rocks or bailing hay. Returning to the house in
late afternoon she helped mom bake bread, cookies, and cupcakes. The
Shipley house was full of love. What it didn’t have was indoor
conveniences. The outhouse was twenty-six steps out the back door.
This wasn’t something she would come to appreciate until later in
life. Every day she pitched in to help around the farm to get things
to market.
To Jo
it was just her way of life, even if it was physically demanding. But
they had been happy days; swimming in the fishing hole on a hot
summer day after chores were done, or ice-skating on the pond between
the house and the hayfield when the ice was thick enough.
Never
as a child could she have foreseen how God would use these
experiences to win souls for His Kingdom. A missionary/English
teacher, Jo now lived in some of the most underdeveloped places in
the world. Her labor-filled childhood, along with the family’s lack
of indoor plumbing had prepared her for the conditions she ministered
and taught in. Because of her hard working, simple lifestyle Jo was
widely accepted.
†
Jo is
able to relate to those God leads her to. She is grateful for having
learned to live a simple life. Because of that Jo has led many people
to the Lord. The preparation she received at home on the farm made
all the difference.
God
knows what He’s doing with us as well, although many times we whine
about the task at hand because we fail to see the bigger picture.
Everything we do today will prepare us for the work of tomorrow.
Today’s text tells us that if we allow Him, God will order our
steps. If we permit Him to prepare us we can then reach out to others
with kinship and understanding.
Prayer
“Lord,
teach me what I need to know so that I might serve You well in this
life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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