I may have taken a few wrong turns. The purpose of my journey last weekend was to go see my family in south Arkansas. Obviously, I’ve been there many times from Oklahoma. But on this trip the route was changed a bit to go to my sister’s house first instead of to my brother’s where I normally stay. Just the slightest change to a destination can throw me off. Yes, I hear you saying, “You must be directionally challenged.” And, “Ever heard of Google maps?” Yes and yes. But Google let me down a few times. I will blame it on technology.
I did eventually make it to my sister’s house and made it back home to Oklahoma safely. Mission accomplished. What really mattered was what happened in between. While I was there, my life journey intersected with so many others.
My sister, Debbie, and I caught up on our lives including children, grandchildren, childhood memories and current happenings. Debbie’s journey right now includes grieving the unexpected loss of her husband of 45 years and charting a path forward into an unknown future. We talked much about the reality of not knowing what life brings on any given day. And the foundation of faith that brings hope — minute by minute.
On Sunday morning at her church, Debbie and I enjoyed hearing about the journeys of men discovering new life free from substance abuse at a nearby ministry—Restoration Ranch. The testimonies about life choices, pain and hitting rock bottom were hard to hear. But knowing their journeys had ultimately led them to Christ brought a sense of hope to everyone in the congregation. One of the men referenced one of my favorite verses about how to choose wisely, Proverbs 3:5-6. I highlighted it for you below.
Debbie and I visited my aunt who had recently been moved into a nursing home facility. When I saw Aunt Jan sitting there, I had flashbacks of a vibrant, fun-loving woman with a quick smile and laughing eyes. Her personal journey has not always been an easy one, but she made life better for so many. Now, she is the one being tenderly cared for as her journey winds down.
We visited the cemetery where my parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins are buried. This is the ground where their earthly journeys ended. But I am reminded over and over that their life journeys continue eternally today in heaven for all of them.
All of the people I mentioned above have strived to be like Christ. That’s always my goal too, but it’s a struggle. It reminds me of the journey Paul describes. I wrote about that a few years ago in a piece called, “The Lifelong Journey to be like Him.” Here’s the opening:
I want to be like Him. I keep trying to be. But I can’t because I keep doing the things I don’t want to do.
That was the dilemma the Apostle Paul wrote about in Romans chapter 7 as he lamented that he was a wretched man because he truly wanted to be like Jesus. But because he was so full of sin, he couldn’t.
It’s the dilemma of us all.
I have referenced the blog for you below and the scripture.
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do… or in my inner being I delight in God’s law; … but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7: 15, 23-25
Share Your Good Words
Good Questions of the Week: Where has your journey taken you lately? What inspires you to live a life of good choices? How do you want people to remember you one day? What brings you joy in your journey?
The following excerpt is from a story that will be included in my upcoming book, Unseen People: Sharing Light and Life with Your Neighbors and the Nations. Click the blue link below to see the progress of the book. This story was written several years ago when my journey included traveling to Indonesia with She Is Safe.
I love my work. But my work is challenging on many levels. It’s amazing that an introvert who has claustrophobic issues would want to be enclosed in an airplane for 24 hours one way and go to a crowded Asian country. Must be a God thing. And even though I believe I am called by God to do this work at this time in my life, it doesn’t mean it’s easy. Or always safe. Or comfortable.
A Good Podcast: The Blue Cord podcast for Christian women who are hungry to know God and make Him known. Host Karen Bejjani (author and iHOPE Ministries’ Co-Founder) dishes up a fresh dose of inspiration and moral courage through conversations with faith-filled women who are living as authentic witnesses across cultures in their daily lives. (NOTE: I will be a guest on this podcast very soon! Stay tuned!)
Some of the links above are associate links. That means, when you click and purchase, I receive a small percentage of that sale. Those funds, as well as funds from paid subscribers, support my writing this piece each week. Thank you! I commit to forwarding a minimum of 10% to the amazing nonprofits: She Is Safe and The Red Cord. They help raise awareness of sex trafficking. They help prevent, rescue and restore victims to new life.
A Final Good Word
In the blog I mentioned above, “The Lifelong Journey to be like Him,” I concluded:
I love the way Jesus dealt with women, and children, and lepers and the demon-possessed … Outcasts. All of them. And He spoke kindness to them. And healed them. And loved them. Gently. Sweetly. Intentionally.
I want to be like that. I want to live like that.
That’s what I want my life journey to look like. How about you?
Contact me privately: deannalynnsanders@gmail.com.
Thank you for taking your valuable time to read my words. And if you would, please share a good word with someone today. Invite others into our Good Word community.
