I Had Never Built a Sliding Barn Door in My Life!
As a much younger man, I had expected by this time in my life to be a shrinking violet hiding in my little log cabin in the woods having squirreled away enough money to make it to the end without starving. Was I in for a shocker! I wonder if – when I had those thoughts – God whispered over to one of the angels and said, “He doesn’t have any idea what I will do in his life, where he will be going, or what he will actually be doing when he reaches “retirement age”. But I do!” Well, ok, perhaps God wouldn’t say that to an angel, but you never know. Maybe one day I can ask Him.
As a senior adult I have not become a shrinking violet or a wall flower sitting around watching paint dry on a wall as the world goes by. Actually, I did watch paint dry after repainting the open living room/kitchen/dining areas in our house recently. The Covid shut down stopped our travel to do marriage workshops and training for several month. During that time I got the bright idea to finish our basement.
As God faithfully continued to provide funds to pay the bills, I got to use some of that money to buy materials and build partition walls, hire an electrician and a plumber to do what I dared not do, and began the task…that I had hired done years before in two other houses we’d owned. My friend Rick brought some tools we’d need and supplied some much-needed expertise. The greatest thing he brought with him to our house was a winning smile of encouragement. When we were questioning next steps or “the right way to do this next part”, he’d calmly sit down with me and talk it out. Surely, he helped me figure out the skilled process, but more than that he encouraged me. We can figure this out. And we did. Because of my work with him and encouragement from another great friend Tom Vosie, I even built 3 sliding barn doors from scratch. Thankful for YouTube videos too!
How did God do it? How did He change me from an insecure kid / teen to a person others find it hard to believe that I was ever shy or insecure? I am glad you asked!
He did it with circumstances that were “over my head” and “out of my comfort zone”, then He brought people into my life to encourage me. He brought Mrs. Pollard in my childhood Sunday School class, Aubrey Morris as a leader of my boy’s club known as R.A.’s – Royal Ambassadors, my own siblings and parents to show me faith in my early years, Gorman Mitchell to challenge me to do some public speaking on the radio, , Lloyd Cornell during my college years to teach me leadership, Wayne Allen to help me learn key Bible truths, Shad and Sheila Williams to teach me faith in a faithful God, David Ferguson to help me get free from the pain of the past – pain I had caused and pain others caused me, Carol Lewis to be a consistent example of faithfulness and service, now adult children to show me how much my Father loves me and how better to love others, ……. You get the idea!
Writing this 52 Week Plan has given me the pause I needed to be thankful for these and so many others, whom God has used along the way to encourage me, train me, and influence me toward a life of following Jesus. They both told me the truth and showed me what the truth looks like when it is lived out.
Who encouraged you? How did they do it? Have you ever thanked them?
What part in your journey did God Himself play personally, as you found the direction, encouragement, strength, faith, will, and energy to get up and keep going to the next bend in the road?
Whenever you read any of the 52 Week Plan installments and you hear any of God’s truth exposed or explained, you should know that behind anything good in my life is a loving, personal Savior Jesus Christ, Who never gave up on me and always came to me with just what I needed and the right people or person to help me when I needed Him most. Many times He sent His Holy Spirit to show me from His Word what I needed to know, to do, to become. The first person I realized truly loved me and wanted me to be His was my Savior Jesus Christ.
I want to be an encourager to as many people as possible while I live. I can’t do that if I shy away, shrink back, or run away due to fear.
I am a blessed man!