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You are here: Home / Archives for seasons

Alpha and Omega

January 9, 2019 By admin

I enjoy seeing a need and starting a group or service for that. I am a pretty great starter. Yet I am coming to the end of one of my life ministries. I have facilitated a women’s support group in my city for about 12 years. Funding for my work has disappeared and the group members aren’t able to pay to attend. I remember when I first started a support group and the pastor at that location mentioned that he had been taught that ministries often run active for about five years. So this is well overdue by those standards.

In our last session one of the group members was troubled about needing to end a draining friendship with someone who refuses to change. I tried to encourage her that sometimes there are “necessary endings” for all of us–divorce, death, moves, job loss, separation from unhealthy or damaging relationships.

I have noticed some of my Facebook friends have been pruning their friend lists and dropping those who don’t contribute, don’t play nice, or don’t match their interests. When we have limited time, energy, resources and life–pruning in some way is necessary for the health of an institution or a person. Author Dr. Henry Cloud states: “To hold on to ‘hope’ when what you really have is merely a wish is to fail to grasp reality.”* He also reminds us that the past is the best predictor of future behavior as relates to relationships.

Jesus modeled and taught the necessity of endings. After he made some very plain and pointed statements, many of his early disciples walked away (John 6:66). We have no record that Jesus ran after the deserters or that he knocked on doors that evening to beg them to return. Later Jesus told his mission-driven disciples that if they weren’t welcomed in towns or homes, to “shake the dust off your feet” and leave (Matthew 10:11-14). Time came when Jesus ended his earthly mission for the next step in our salvation and redemption (Mark 16:19, 20).

The loss of a meaningful or time-consuming activity– one driven with passion and prayer, can lead to some grief or aimlessness. It can also open ways for other people to find their mission and create new services as God leads. Letting go can open up space previously occupied in our hearts.

Books, movies, series, classes, cereal boxes, bank accounts–everything ends.

In so many ways I am in the school of learning to become a gracious “ender.” I am left with mixed feelings about something that I still feel is important and not duplicated in my community. If I am honest, I feel sadness, anger, some relief, and anticipation at this ending. What

might happen next? At ending times, can I trust God to help re-shape my life and legacy, and make good use of my remaining time and talents?

Questions for personal journaling or group discussion:

1. When have you benefited from an ending?
2. What/whom might you be hanging onto that needs to end?

Karen Spruill writes from Florida.

The post Alpha and Omega appeared first on Answers for Me.

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Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Answers for Me.

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Filed Under: Dear God, News and Feeds Tagged With: city, deserters, facebook, health, jesus, life, mission, necessity, personal, seasons, shake-the-dust

I Love Fall

October 4, 2017 By admin

Photo by Dreamstime

Dear God: What a glorious day. The leaves just turning their beautiful colors — gold, red, yellow, burgundy. A walk in the woods with my grandsons turned into a wonderful teaching time and exploration about you and your creation. Even though close to freezing, some tiny flowers still held on adding blues and purples to brown of the fallen leaves. Green skinned black walnuts and broken shells scattered on the forest floor led to talks about how you’ve provided for all creation.

Armed with sticks, it was easy to imagine how the David the shepherd boy or David the warrior felt when he was taking care of sheep or escaping King Saul. The path along the creek reminded us of one of David’s more famous psalms: “He leads me beside peaceful streams … and even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid for you are close beside me. Your rod and staff protect and comfort me” (Psalm 23 NLT).

In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Dixie Dee Whitted writes from the eastern United States.

Read more at the source: I Love Fall

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Online prayers.

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Filed Under: Dear God, News and Feeds Tagged With: answers for me, articles, beautiful, change, david, facebook, gratitude, inspire, seasons, vimeo

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