As some of you might know I am working on another book, in fact I am working on three books right now. I am determined to finish but quite frankly sometimes my mind goes blank. Sometimes I am not distracted but I try to be. Other times I am in the zone and I can feel the thoughts, that’s the time the phone rings and folks in the house want to fellowship. You have to strike balance, but writing without a publisher is very difficult, because in your solitude you can’t help but wonder, if what you are working on will see the light of day. This means I must finish this work in honor of the Lord and people like Lea and the rest of you who have given much in support of my life.

The challenge is how do you keep going; especially when in the middle of it your sugar level spikes, there is a pain in your chest, your eyes are puffy and you want to curl up and feel bad. Don’t tell me it takes commitment, I already know that. What exactly is commitment? Well there are different kinds and I have many examples in my life. I have often told the story of a missionary Pastor I met on one of my first mission trips to the South American nation of Suriname. We met him at his mission station about two hundred miles from the capital on our way to the nearby country of French Guiana. His small mission Church in the middle of nowhere had only thirteen members. To support himself and his family, he provided a wayside stop for travelers to refresh themselves. Suriname has some of the largest trees I have ever seen. In some places these huge trees with their dense branches kept out the sun. The members of his Church lived among those trees. To travel to service they walked over thirteen miles on very narrow and winding trails. Because of the density of the trees they would have to head back as soon as service was over to ensure they had enough light to get home.

There was no potential for this man to truly expand and enjoy what we regard as success, but he stayed there and served, out of a commitment to a clear revelation of God for his life. Looking back now I can see God’s wisdom in exposing me to this man and his ministry. I learnt from him, the value of standing in your place at the instruction of God, regardless of circumstances.  As I write this book however I am not thinking of this pastor but someone closer to home. My Stepfather had heart disease for as long as I’ve known him. He was the first person I know to be on a special diet. He ate a special soup  which my mother made him every single day regardless to what everyone else was eating. As you know in the early days, he and I had a difficult relationship. Yet what he denied me was never denied to his own children in our family. To them no better provider ever walked the face of the earth. So on Sundays, holidays and special days when everyone in his household was feasting he had his soup and was grateful. As strident as he was with me and my sister in the early days, I never heard him complain about having such a restrictive diet. Nor did my mother ever complain about getting up every morning, or cooking two separate meals every evening.

I am always grateful to the Lord that my Stepfather and I had a restored relationship, so at his parting we were two men who respected each other, which is the principal thing among men. What I did not realize at the time was without our knowledge or will; he was imparting a part of his strength,

It's Just A Thought

EF

Comment