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by Angie Ledbetter © all rights reserved
Like everything else in the Deep South,
our time seems to be on a slightly different schedule
from the rest of the country. People walk, talk, and linger
longer over events and schedules, and take just a bit
more time to digest things. We savor the rich aromas,
flavors, and personalities that bloom in abundance in
this tropical climate. Our growing season is longer, and
our harvesting season shorter. All this came to mind this
morning as I stepped outside in my slippers to say a quick
"Lord, bless this day, the work of my hands, and
all the children as they get ready for school." My
large mug of dark roast coffee tasted better than usual
as I watched the trees swaying in the cool early breeze.
Many people will begin their day at school with a prayer.
Parents will pray that all schools will soon reincorporate
the traditions of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and
prayer in public schools.
These issues and more have been brought into the forefront
since September 11, 2001, but the fallout will and should
reach far into our futures as well. Our priorities always
need to be God, family, and country. Praying will harvest
many good things for our loved ones, even when our prayers
don't seem to be answered at all. It's hard for us humans
to remember that our time is not God's time, and that
He is always working to turn bad into good.
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Spinning
a Web of Prayer
As we work to be good farmers and try
to bring good things into our homes, church communities,
and eventually our countries, we can depend on a gigantic
Christian web of prayer spinning out between the members
of the Body of Christ. Our plows will encounter unmovable
boulders, our tractors and combines will often break down,
droughts and floods may diminish our yields, enemies may
distract us, and our "field hands" will often
complain of the hard work we ask of them. But through
every season that we have been faithful workers in the
fields and vineyards, the Father stores up our yields
for us in eternity and oversees the results. Surely He
hears even more when our voices are joined to overcome
problems small and large.
As we take care of the priorities of our homes and families,
and keep worship, blessing-counting, and spiritual growth
at our center, we can then take on good works in the larger
arenas of life in order to reap crops of goodness. Volunteering
in community programs for the poor is one way to increase
our blessings.
Think of all the men at the prison who will pray for us
when we provide them with home baked cookies; all of the
battered women who will remember our name in prayer after
we've donated needed items; all of the hungry children
to whom we provide bountiful holiday food who will ask
Jesus to bless us when they say grace before their meal.
God provides us with many opportunities to increase our
blessings through blessing others in these ways, so when
we give of our largess to others, we are also giving ourselves
many spiritual gifts as well.
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Doing the
Body Good
More folks are becoming aware of the
things that can be done to help out when there is a national
crisis, tragedy, or natural disaster. If we visualize
ourselves as single healthy cells in an ailing body, we
congregate and then spread out with the antibiotics (prayer
and faith in action activities). We begin to invade the
illness in the larger body of our society. When more and
more Christian "cells" attack and incubate hearty,
new cells, the bad/sick organs can heal and/or be sloughed
off.
In keeping ourselves spiritually healthy in order to do
this work within the larger group, it's important that
we don't dwell on the negatives that constantly bombard
us from every media outlet. Psychiatrists and professors
tell us that if we freak out and become depressed or anxious,
our children will be similarly affected. When this happens,
we join the ranks of the sick members or cells in the
one body and are unable to fully participate in the healing
efforts.
Remembering that this is just one season among many helps
us gain a better perspective. Knowing that we have every
tool in our shed needed to work under any condition also
brings comfort. If we've prepared for bad times by filling
our pantries and silos with good preserves and grains
– literally and figuratively - we will be fine.
We can also choose to see the larger meaning of our favorite
symbols. Our proud American flag of red, white, and blue
could also stand for a heavenly banner. The red and white
stripes could symbolize the rays of Jesus' Divine Mercy,
giving us His unfailing forgiveness whenever we ask. The
blue could stand for our eternal heavenly home.
Keeping beloved symbols and reminders in our home, work
places, and vehicles is a comfort, especially when we
can picture the bigger symbols of these material objects.
Old traditions and faith customs, when dusted off and
put back in places of prominence, will shine forth and
remind us of our priorities.
This is the beauty found in generations of prayer webs,
hands joined together in community efforts, voices lifted
high in songs of praise, stories spanning place and time.
We were all planted, nurtured, and pruned by God to go
forth and share the Gospel…no matter the place or
time or events of a single season.
For this singular moment in this season, I will pour myself
another steaming cup of my favorite coffee and sit out
in the cool air to enjoy it under God's heaven while I
pray.
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Angie Ledbetter is a mom,
ministry worker, Scout enthusiast, columnist, author,
and freelance writer who is partial to inspirational subject
matter. Her new co-authored book is Seeds
of Faith ~ An Inspirational Almanac. She is a regional
representative for the National Association of Women Writers.
For more information see Writers
Gumbo.
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Scripture taken from the
Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.Copyright ©
1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights
reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International
Bible Society.
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered
trademarks of International Bible Society. Use of either
trademark for the offering of goods or services requires
the prior written consent of International Bible Society.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy
Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,
IL 60189, USA. All rights reserved.
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