It has been awhile since I posted!  Because we are in a different season of life where we don’t travel or we aren’t able to participate in many of the activities that we did before, or even go many of the places around town that we use to, I have felt that maybe The Lord would not be able to use me as I quietly stepped away from the usual ways that I had served ! Seems that when we can’t do what we use to do that God can’t use us! In October of 2019 I had written a story of how God called us back to our home church when we moved back from CA and AZ!   As i wrote then, I used the story of Elijah and how God called him to go back the same way he came with “new vision and purpose”  and  also how  Jonah had tried to run away from the Lord to avoid doing what God had told him to do!   

This past Sunday, because of the weather and church was just online, we ended up watching David Jeremiah in San Diego where he is the pastor of Shadow Mountain Church!   He was beginning a new  series on Jonah (how does God arrange things like this?). We 

listened and as we read Jonah 1 where Jonah runs in the opposite direction from where God tells him to go, Dr Jeremiah pointed out that the Lord gave Jonah a second chance to do what God told him to do.  As much as I loved the sermon and thanked God of the many chances He has given me, it didn’t really resonate with me until last night!  Before falling asleep I began to think of all the ways God has allowed me to serve!  AND the years of serving Him in so many different ways came after He restored me from living a life when I too, tried to run away from The Lord, when I was certainly not living a life that honored Him!   As i thought back to all that He has allowed me to do and the blessings that have been given to me from serving, it just dawned, once again,  on me that God truly is a God of second chances and is able to always use us according to His purposes!   Why now, would  i think that He can’t use me, just because my life looks very different from my life 5 years ago.   The saying, “if i’m still here, He isn’t through with me” is so true!   And even if the ministry looks different than what I thought it should be, it shows me that my trust and faith in Him needs to grow and commit each day to allow Him to use me in whatever ways He desires!

it just amazes me that God once again, almost 7 years later, used the story of Jonah to remind me that He is and always will be the God of second chances!

Help me Lord to remember that no matter where i am, You are always there.  I cannot ever hide and that You are and always will be the God who loves me and wants to use me, no matter the season of life I’m in.  Help me to  serve You with  renewed vision and purpose every opportunity You give me.