Focus

Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.

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Reflect

Remember the old orange juice commercial: “It’s not just for breakfast anymore.”  I think of Romans 8:20 that way, when reflecting on how God worked for my good and God’s call on my life.  Many of us think of how God brings good, and even blessing, out of difficult times, but also God uses good events to show us our purpose.

When I was nine years old and in children’s ministry, I felt God’s call to be a medical missionary; therefore in high school, I took Latin and French.  When my learning disability limited those plans, I majored in French and German education.  That way, God taught me how it feels to have academic challenges and that changing my personal plans meant God had different plans.  When I took a job teaching special education instead of French, God revealed my true calling to me; but God wasn’t finished yet.  After I received my 2^nd call, into ordained ministry, I noticed while working on a paper, that I could read the footnotes myself, even though they were written in German, French and a little Latin, with a little help from my old dictionaries.  Finally, God’s call led me to a personal care home for adult men with learning differences, and my special ed training was just what was needed for service as their chaplain and resident aide.

As a child, I could not ever have imagined doing services and celebrating the sacraments with my congregation who I have now.  Some “bad things” have happened to me, but also the good things have worked together and show me that God’s plans lead to a much more joyful life than my plans ever could have.

Pray

Lord, Open our eyes to the paths set before for us, good or bad; you are always working to bless your children. Amen
Amen

Go with God!