Good morning…

I had the privilege of facilitating our daily devotional time during our Women’s Mission Trip to Appalachia. Nestled in my temporary bed, the LORD would stir me from sleep at the exact right time. I would quietly crawl out of my bunk, trying not to wake my roommates, then make a pot of coffee before sneaking out onto the screened in back porch. The pitch black, crisp air whispered a silent, “Good morning.” I would capture words in my journal before sharing them when our team woke. On the first morning, I wrote and shared these words.

“I wake in Chavies, Kentucky. I love this hilly patch of land, this place where needs are as high as the mountains. This is a special spot for me, a place where I live out a different facet of my soul each fall. At home, I serve my family, I serve my church, I serve my friends. Here, I serve strangers, people I will never see again. At home, I serve with encouraging words, written, taught, and spoken; I serve with meals, laundry, rides back and forth. Here, I serve with God’s invisible power, with mud compound and paint roller, tiles and adhesive. At home, I serve in my zone of comfort, morning straight through night. Here, I serve six hours away from my normal comforts, experiencing four precious, out-of-the-ordinary days.

Why not give my all today, tomorrow, the next day? Why not look for ways to be Christ tangibly, in hands-on, real ways? A hug. A smile. A loving look. A listening ear. A mutually bond. An encouraging conversation. Strangers need Christ too, you know.

For these four unique days, LORD, allow the Christ in me to spread out from my heart, through my spine, into my arms and hands, saturating my ears, my brain, my lips before grounding my feet in Your divine purposes. Help me to lose my self in being You until Your invisible presence is made a little bit more visible.”

…what do you think God expects from you?
Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you… Deuteronomy 10:12-13a (MSG),

Sue