Top 4 Thursday
Hello, my friend!
I hope you and your family and doing well and experiencing the joy and peace of the Lord! My family and I just got back from East Texas where we spent Thanksgiving week. My uncle Ronnie’s funeral was the preceding Tuesday, so suffice it to say, our Thanksgiving was a somber one, as our table felt so incomplete without him there.
By God’s grace, I was able to stand up and speak at the service and share nearly four pages’ worth of golden memories and godly examples Ronnie modeled for me in the simple, steadfast way that he lived. I wanted to commence this week’s email with an excerpt from the latter part of my tribute:
Just an hour or so before my dad passed away, he and I were having a conversation about heaven, and he said, “I know heaven is going to be fantastic.” After he died, it immediately hit me that God had used that conversation to bless my family and me with the comforting knowledge of His sovereignty. If you don’t think God delights in blessing you in tiny details, like the topics and timing of such conversations, I encourage you to reconsider.
The morning of Ronnie’s death, my son Isaiah and I were in the nursery, getting Elliana up. Out of nowhere, Isaiah asked me, “Will we see God when we go to heaven?”
I answered, “Yes. We will see Jesus and he’ll give us the biggest and best hug you’ve ever had.”
I look forward to seeing Ronnie up in heaven, and hugging him moments after I get that big, best hug from my Savior, when I’m with Him at last.
Interestingly, the night I wrote that, I happened to be reading a chapter in Anne’s House of Dreams about the death of “high-souled,” “simple-minded,” twinkly-eyed Captain Jim, who always reminded me so much of my Uncle Ronnie. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to read these words of his to the main character, Anne Blythe (formerly Anne Shirley) just before he “crossed the bar”:
“Oh, you’d get along nicely – nicely – but you wouldn’t forget the old man altogether, Mistress Blythe – no, I don’t think you’ll ever forget him … But it’ll be a memory that won’t hurt my friends – it’ll always be kind of pleasant to them, I hope and believe.”
I’m so grateful for the pleasant memory of my uncle that I’ll carry with me until the day we’re reunited!
Okay, onto #2 of this weeks’ Top 4!
Work is NOT the Individual
“The professional loves her work. She is invested in it wholeheartedly. But she does not forget that the work is not her.” – Steven Pressfield
I love that quote because it reminds us that our worth is not bound up in what we do, but who we are. As a Christian, my identity as a precious-blood-bought daughter of God is what’s most important to me, and what helps me be and do all the other things the Lord has placed on my heart.
An Error Message
“When you tolerate an error, you rob yourself of learning. When you ruminate on an error, you rob yourself of happiness. Notice it, improve it, and move on from it.” – James Clear
Resources as Affirmation
“If God calls you to a ministry, he also provides for you everything you need to do it. And that goes from preaching the gospel to mowing the grass.” – Mike Mazzalongo
I appreciate this quote because it speaks to a principle I’ve witnessed and experienced firsthand a number of times in my life, and that is that if something – a relationship, a job, a creative endeavor, a ministry idea, etc. – isn’t God’s best for you, then He will make it plain. One way He reveals this is by shutting doors, the most apparent of which is arguably financial doors. That doesn’t mean that when we find ourselves with limited funds that we should close shop, so to speak, and pursue something else, but rather that we should use adversity as a cue to bring the burden before the Lord and ask Him for further direction and clarity. Often, the lack of support, whether monetary or otherwise, is an indication that we’re not quite where God wants us.
I hope you’ve found this week’s Top 4 helpful! Please do not hesitate to reach out with any prayer requests or questions. I love hearing from you!