So, if any of you know me, a writer/blogger would probably be the last thing you would think of, and I would be the first to agree with you. When Pamela emailed and asked if I’d like to be a guest blogger, I actually surprised myself when I wanted to say YES immediately! I am not exactly sure why. It could be God opening my eyes to his divine purpose and healing my past wounds, or this pandemic and realizing how short life is, so why not be brave! God is looking for my availability not my ability (Thank you, Christine Caine). When I started thinking about the blog, here’s what came to mind. What can I do when the world is telling me what I can’t? Here is the journey so far….
As Americans we have always been told there is nothing we can’t do if we put our minds to it and the world is our oyster, the sky’s the limit. Well, at least we’ve been told these things in the movies. Until now that was somewhat true; we’ve never been told we can’t leave our home and to practice social distancing. We are being forced to stop life as we know it for a period of time, and no one knows how long that will be. Then the stillness sets in. I’ve stared at these four walls for more hours that I can count and watched the news for updates to see if there is any sign of hope that this pandemic has hit the peak so we can soon return to normal. I have asked myself, “Why didn’t I appreciate freedom more, like simple things as getting groceries without wondering if I am going to catch a virus from the box of cereal or the lettuce that I touched?” On a lighter note, how am I going to make meals from half of my pickup order from Kroger because the store didn’t have the items I requested? And yes, my life revolves a lot around food and feeding my family.
With all the “can nots” right now and fears of what is happening or may happen, I needed to focus my mind on my “cans.” How can God use me in this situation? I got on my knees and I prayed, I cried out for God to show me how I can make a difference for His Kingdom. “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me and heard my cry for help.” (Psalm 40:1) As I was praying, an overwhelming feeling of compassion for people in need of hope filled my heart, and I started making a list of people I know who need prayer and encouragement. So, each day I try to reach out to a few on my list, while my kiddos are watching Elmo or taking a nap, just to pray for them and to let them know someone cares about them.
Then I wondered how can I get my kids involved? Emily is 4 ½ years old (she’d say, “Almost 5!”) and Wayne Henry is 16 months old and just starting to really talk. I asked Emily what she wanted to do for people she cares about and first she said, “Invite them over for a tea party!” Well, we had to have a 4-year old talk on why we can’t do that right now. There is that word again. Secondly, she came up with drawing pictures and praying for them. That is what we do. I let her come up with who we pray for and draw pictures for them and mail them off. Every time she prays for their health and for God to keep them safe. It’s amazing to me how much kiddos pick up, even when you are careful on what they hear and see.
This is just a start and I believe if I continue to seek God for the next task he will guide my path.So, I challenge myself and you to try new things that you have never done before, like me blogging. God will “Equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:21).Only God knows what will happen or how he will use it. As Christine Caine says, “Replace what we don’t know about the future with what we do know about God.” There has never been a better time to practice this than today. Let’s focus on what we can do rather than on what we can’t do.
– Julie Garrison
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