Keepin' on

When Diane found the lump, we all held our breath for a month until the doctor declared it benign. Jack drove through a tire blow-out and coasted to a heart-pounding stop at the shoulder of the busy highway. Maya is fighting cancer. Mike is trying to get his cholesterol below the red zone.

We get bone-jarring reminders that this life is short, like a mist drifting off the river valley, disappearing in the morning sun.

I’m like you: I want to make the most of the days God has given me. I want to be focused on his best and not live in the smoke of emergencies that seem to need tending.

So I’m always testing the wind, trying to read the signs. Recently I’ve seen several bloggers take a break from their writing routine. For some, the demands of teaching their children have sopped up their extra time. Others have run out of topics or sense a new ministry whispering. They are trying to maintain their focus on God’s best. They know a rich life is attentive.

For me, too, the call of the classroom has whispered. I teach my children, adults, senior citizens. Was it time to set down the pen and pour new time elsewhere? Once, God sang to my heart a poem about writing. Was that song done? Was it time to move on?

Yesterday I shared with you a blog award from Writers…Interrupted. The news revived my resolve just before I got a rejection letter from a publisher. Then, today, I discovered I have been given another award.

The Mathetes Award originated at management by God. Mathetes is a Greek word, so you know this is my kind of blog! Mathetes means “disciple” and is given to those seen as “acting in the role of a disciple of God.”

This award came to me from Lisa at The Preacher’s Wife. Lisa is a dedicated disciple of God and offers an online Bible study, “I AM…So You Don’t Have to Be.” She shares her heart for her Savior in a vibrant warm way and I am honored by this award. Thank you, Lisa!

But the timing of this award is what is most amazing. As I have laid Sumballo before the King and asked, “What next?” I have felt his voice clearly: keep on keeping on. And so I’ll be writing on. I want my voice and my pen to do one thing: lift up the King of kings.

“You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"

Isaiah 40:9

I’m passing this award on:

In Pursuit of What is Good by Sarah

Refresh My Soul by Angela

Scraps of Glory by Maxine

Small Scribbles by Kate

Ben Witherington

They are all an inspiration to me in different ways and their passion for the Lord is invigorating.