Our
state in life keeps changing depending on our season of life and the
circumstances in which we find ourselves.
When I became a Christian in my
teens, that identity overlaid a stewardship responsibility to God
onto every one of the states in life He would assign to me at any given
point in the future. My states in life keep shifting according to the seasons of my
life, my chronological age, my circumstances, and opportunities God
sets before me.
As
I understand it, God holds each of us responsible to be a good steward only
of what He has given us or how He has uniquely gifted us, not
of how He gifted someone else. Applying it to myself, I'm accountable according to my
state in life and God's gifts to me. When I surrendered my life into God's hands as a
teenager, I came empty-handed. I perceived myself as not having any
of the obvious “talents” which my young peers seemed to have.
(And I most obviously didn't have a talent for playing the
piano—which gift I had coveted!)
God
took me at my word when I committed my life to Him. He began to
gradually and generously give me specific abilities, gifts,
opportunities, experiences, and relationships which He expected me to
use responsibly. He gave me the gift of creative writing in which I
find great joy. Expressing myself in writing is as automatic as
breathing, although not without blood, sweat, and tears sometimes! I
fulfill my stewardship by writing books to encourage, teach, inspire,
and witness to my faith. Caboosing on that gift came publishing,
speaking, broadcasting, and helping others grow in their faith and
develop their gifts.
As
my state in life changes, so do God's expectations for my
stewardship. That doesn't mean He has let me off the hook because of
my advanced age. He has guided me into adjusted expressions of my
stewardship through technical and electronic equipment and the use of cyberspace and at least
minimal know-how. Never have I lacked anything that God knew I needed
in order to fulfill His purposes through me including providing me
with state of the art computing and communicating “stuff”--thanks
to my sons' generosity and patience! Supplemented with instruction
from grandchildren!
Living on the summit, I'm happy to enjoy some of the harvest now
as I eat the fruit of my lifetime of planting. I continue to sow
and reap simultaneously. I
shall keep generously sowing for God into the lives of others by
sharing the riches of the Christ-life with them. According to God’s
promise, I can always expect a harvest from sowing whether I live to
reap it or not. The Bible says that older women (I think I finally
qualify!) should teach the younger. I’m enthusiastically optimistic
about the new generations!
To
keep my day in focus with the Lord as I fulfill my calling during my
current state of life, I wrote and pray this prayer each
morning:
PRAYER AT MY COMPUTER
Lord, let the words I type
with my fingers
and send swiftly through
cyberspace
through the technology
designed by men
come first and solely
from the holy meditations
of my heart
and the mind of Christ who
dwells within me
overshadowed by the Holy
Spirit's direction.
Guide them according to
Your purpose and will
for the building up of the
recipients
not for the aggrandizement
of myself
but for the greater glory
of God alone:
ad majorem Dei gloriam.
Grant that the words I
compose for publication
likewise be for the
edification of Your people
and the exaltation of the
Holy Trinity:
Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
Amen
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