Open for 2015 {Week 17}

Click here to get the low down on the "Open for 2015" weekly series.

Nothing says 'Happy Mother's Day' like leaving me hanging in a funny face picture!

Early last week I received an email from our pastor asking me if I could do the children's sermon on Sunday, Mother's Day.  I didn't immediately reply because, well, it scared me.  The week leading up to Mother's Day is always the time that articles start circulating about how Mother's Day is not a happy day for everyone and how some loathe being in worship on Mother's Day Sunday.  I did not want to increase anyone's pain with a message to the kids.

I thought all day about what I could say, prayed about it a little, and knew I didn't have any excuse to say no.

Except fear.

Pastor called me around dinner time to see what I was thinking, or maybe to see if I'd gotten his message.  I told him I was leaning toward "taking the job," shared some of my ideas, and my fear.  He said a couple of very encouraging things about why he thought I was a good fit for a Mother's Day children's sermon.  I told him I would send him what I had later in the week.

I needed to be OPEN to serve even though I was afraid, because God doesn't always ask us to do things that are easy.  He does promise, however, to be faithful to us and to be with us in them.

I held Him to those promises as I prayed and thought about verses around which to build a Mother's Day children's message.  Wouldn't you know it?  He was faithful and He was with me!

On my Thursday morning run he brought to mind a verse in Psalm 139:

For you created my inmost being,

You knit me together in my mother's womb.

From there, the Children's Sermon practically wrote itself and before the weekend I was ready to go.  Talk about God's faithfulness!  I should mention that in addition to fear about sharing on such a sensitive day, I had a to-do list as long as the ocean is wide for the weekend and didn't know how I was going to "fit in" preparing a Children's Sermon.  Again, God came through!

Oh ye of little faith sooooooo applies to me.

The process reminded me that I need to respond to the Lord in faith and let Him take care of seeing to where the chips fall.  I cannot control how everyone feels at every minute, though I do kinda want to make sure all people are happy.  It's a personality problem.  But I believe we all struggle with wanting to control every aspect of our little worlds and we cannnot.  Often that keeps us from being faithful when we should be and letting God be God and serving Him without fear.*

Time to Take Action:  You may find yourself in the same situation this week, facing a task or conversation that makes your knees knock.  If the Spirit is prompting, pray and step out in faith.  God promises to be faithful and to be with you.  Hold Him to it and see what He does for His glory in your life!



*One other thing that this experience reminded me of is how I learned most of what I know about working with kids, teaching, and speaking in public from my mom!  A pretty sweet tribute to her, right?