PUBLISHER’S Corner
Accountability — it’s a beautiful thing
tened, traveling through time to a place before most of the six of us (my siblings and me) were born, a time when indoor plumbing seemed a fairy tale, when families lived together out of necessity. Living history. Sometimes our best teacher in life is regret, and I regret that I wasn’t present in the right way at that moment. Funny thing about this story: Dad was often quiet, and when asked if everything was all right his This was the closing paragraph of my January / response was always the same “can’t learn nothin’ if February column; it has had the single most responsmy mouth is runnin’.” es personally for me in the history of this column. This same scenario has played out between our So much response that I’ve actually gone back and Heavenly Father and me too many times. I’m quite re-read the article twice. adept at telling Him what’s on my heart, while too Marla Tabaka wrote in an article on www.inc.com frequently forgetting to wait on Him, to listen for that 80 percent of all New Year’s resolutions fail what it is He would say to me. by mid-February, which coincidentally is when I’m No, I do not hear a deep, booming, audible voice actually writing this. So I’m asking myself, is it an Sandy Jones like in the movie “The Ten Commandments”; accident that I’ve heard back from so many of you, regardless of His delivery method, though, it’s clear our readers, in the last week or so, or is this a “God-thing”? Perhaps when I’ve turned a listening ear to Him — as clear as if it had been He’s holding me accountable. Regardless, I feel this is a great time that voice. for transparency, to keep me moving forward toward my goal. I continue to be a work in progress, to slow down with the time I Admittedly, there have been times when I’ve wanted to check out. spend with God, just like time spent day to day with my family and To bury myself in my Facebook feed, or the next level of Wordfriends. Scapes. To get annoyed when that gets interrupted. Then I rememRecently, I met a lovely young lady who was struggling in several ber that will still be there when I check back into it; but this moment, this question, this opportunity to talk to my husband, catch up areas, and was clearly not a current reader of our publication. One thing she said was, “I love the phrase ‘let go and let God.’ It sounds with one of our kids, play with our grandchildren, or laugh with my so peaceful. But what does it mean?” sister — these moments won’t always be. I told of a canoe on the side of a calm lake with someone going I’ll never forget my last real conversation with my dad. He was on hospice and we knew he was failing fast. My husband and I had to go over, climbing in, pushing off, and letting it coast. I explained that while that all sounds great, that’s not really how it works. God gave buy a new washing machine. Arriving back home I popped in next door to visit with the folks, mentioning that the new washer would be each of us a brain, and calls us to do our part, while leaning on Him for understanding, strength and direction. She responded with somedelivered soon. thing to the effect of ‘we still have to row our canoe.’ Dad got that faraway look in his eye, and shared with me how he’d As I re-read my last column, I was surprised to see that I’d used the gone to town to buy his mom’s first washing machine. A wringerphrase “let go and let God.” Was this an answer to prayer? Was He washer. He just couldn’t see her doing laundry by hand any longer. “speaking” to me? Cheering me on perhaps? The beauty in the memory he shared was so heartwarming. Then I Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already ardid it. I interjected my own thought into the conversation, and the rived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which moment was lost. His train of thought was broken and he couldn’t Christ Jesus took hold of me. — Philippians 3:12 NIV recall what he was going to say next. Oh, how I wish I had just lisBy Sandy Jones “So that is my New Decade Resolution — to BE who I’m called to be; to work diligently to be fully present, not just with my family and friends, but fully present with God; and to do better to ‘let go, and let God’ do His part, while I focus on doing mine.”
4 March / April 2020 | Christian Living
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