I don’t know about you, but a Mexican restaurant in a small Kansas town sure sets the stage for a great day.
Ok, I will admit it—it wasn’t the actual restaurant that made yesterday so remarkable. But it was the company. I was blessed with the opportunity to dine (hence the reference to the Mexican restaurant) and chat with a long time family friend (and essentially mother/coach/cheerleader to all members of our community) named Susie.
Honestly, I didn’t really know how much I missed great conversations until chatting with Susie… for FIVE HOURS. That’s right, people. We talked for five straight hours. Topics of conversation included: marriage, army, her kids, family, traveling, God, ministry… need I continue? You name it, we probably talked about it.
Bottom line, it was awesome—my heart is so full and rejuvenated! WHAAWHOO! Susie just happens to be a pastor’s wife here in good ol’ Colony, Kansas, so our conversations about God and my call to ministry were very affirming. As I sit here and write, I just revel in His goodness and glory!
As we talked about everything under the sun, Susie shared with me a remarkable quote that I would like to share with you:
“When you are in the Dark, don’t question the decisions you made in the Light.”
Wow. It really spoke to me, because I have experienced that first hand. When I am down in the figurative trenches or the “bowels” of the earth that is when The Enemy attacks the hardest. He knows that the most effect way to attack me is to plant tiny seeds of doubt in my brain about the decisions I made IN THE LIGHT that were very clearly ordained by God.
You might have noticed in past blog posts that I have struggled a bit with my call to ministry as well my call as an army wife. Those two things aren’t easy when they are separate entities… but when they are joined together, The Enemy seems to have a heyday messing my faith and tries to draw me away from the light. But fortunately, I believe in a God who can strengthen me to conquer ANYTHING. Can I get an Amen?!?
These past few days at home have been an intense (yet refreshing) time of reflection for me, primarily because I have finally been able to share my call to ministry with my friends/family face to face. God is using this opportunity to strengthen my heart and renew my spirit… Especially through the uplifting conversations with friends/mentors like Susie.
My time with Susie concluded as we stood in her kitchen five hours later. Her quote about not questioning decisions made in the light resonated in my brain. We had laughed (ok, guffawed!), joked, cried, prayed, and reflected together. I looked at her and said “Who would have thought four or five or even one year ago, we would be standing here now, talking about God, theology, Scripture and my call to ministry?!”
Darling Susie looked right back at me with twinkling eyes and said, “I did.”
If that’s not an earthly confirmation of my calling, I don’t know what is. Our whole conversation today was uplifting—or as I “typo-ed” earlier, “uplighting!” Susie is the first of many friends that I plan to meet and share my spiritual journey with during my time here in Kansas. She has encouraged me to hold fast to my faith and to resist the Enemy’s attempts at allowing me to question (in the dark) any decisions that God has helped me make in the light… In fact, this is a time where we can go TOWARDS the light… because in that light we find hope in Jesus Christ.
Flippin’ the Switch,
SGK
“…For it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” –Ephesians 5:14
