They all load up in the van. Samuel never cries in the van, yet Cindy fears he might, so she duct-tapes some toys to the ceiling above his head. But before they reach the 24-hour clinic, Samuel pulls it all down and gets it stuck across his nose and mouth. Good thing they are near the clinic, so they can rush him in and revive him.
This event scares Cindy, but she doesn’t let on, not in front of the children.
She decides that she needs to slow down a bit. But the world around her doesn’t slow down ...with everyone preparing to celebrate the event of Christ's birth. The mood just doesn't seem right, yet there is more than one way to look at it. Do we resemble the busy and intense activity of a Roman soldier ordered to take a census of the people, or do we follow a more peaceful setting …set apart and resting humbly in a manger. What would be the consensus …of which we most resemble?
So many stories ...the good and the bad, it all comes together. Sometimes it's difficult to discern what comes first, and what moments pass from one event to another. Fernye has her 100th birthday, Samuel has his 2nd, Ruth gives us a scare with her hospital visit.
These are some of the stories within the stories. But each story has something in common. It is another story. It is a story they all are sure to tell. It is the story of love and sacrifice. It is the story of God sending His Son, Jesus.
Finding truth within, guided by meaning and purpose caused most to easily find a cause. Most of us want to belong. The success comes through the establishment of inner peace. Though many find it through a manufactured sense with no lasting power. Certainly, with no eternal value. But that’s the problem. Many establish a higher level of peace here on earth, than those of us who should truly know it. It is a deceptive peace, but they reach it at such a high level that the rest of us can’t hold a candle to it.
Missionaries set out to do a very sacrificial service that many of us find it not convenient to do ourselves. They do not discredit anyone’s profession, nor do they entangle themselves within the well-established deceptions that others may promote against them. They just proclaim their commitment and shine forth. They would rather choose not to belong to a cause for the purpose of furthering that cause, the furthering of building one’s own castle, extending one’s own kingdom borders, and competing for the more highly esteemed self-proclaimed status associated with such diversions and deceptions. They would rather choose to extend God’s kingdom, than their own.
Many of us fight to stay on the right path. And many of us have felt defeat, time and again, while still recognizing that God isn’t finished with us yet. God’s purpose dwells within us all, and His purpose does not dwindle. We may attempt to take it a different route, but God’s purpose remains the same, furthering His truth to others ...and within our own hearts.
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