My story is 59 years old.
You may have heard it before.
This week, as I walked with an umbrella and saw this flower growing, my mind returned to an earlier time...
In April 1967, while Ray Parker and I were engaged—he in Tennessee finishing his sophomore year at Bryan College and I in Jacksonville—I became unsure about marrying him. He wasn't as attentive as I believe he should be. At the same time, my high school boyfriend, who had broken my heart at the start of our senior year, began reaching out, wanting to return to my life.
I "broke our engagement."
And yet, I still felt called to be a "preacher's wife". That was far from my high school boyfriend's mind. But I loved the attention.
I was in a dither.
And one Sunday, I walked into church and was handed a bulletin. On the front was a picture of a little girl holding an umbrella and a bouquet of flowers. These words were included:
"If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; 4Then I will give you rain in due season (Leviticus 26:3,4).
So I thought on it, prayed about it, and asked Ray if he was willing to get back together. He was, and we married that summer.
Our 15 years of marriage brought me some ministerial opportunities, but Ray was of the old school—"women in the church should not speak." There were some, but for the most part, my life as a pastor's wife had its drawbacks. I made an effort to be the best I could be. I continued to believe that God had "called me" to be a pastor's wife.
It was difficult to lose that "calling" now almost 44 years ago. I am grateful that I continue to have opportunities to minister to others especially through Seniors Helping Seniors. It can be rewarding and yet sometimes I feel overwhelmed and somewhat underappreciated.
One of my clients lives at Augustine Landing, which is where umbrella in hand, I spotted the flowers and remembered that Sunday when picture of a little girl and an umbrella helped me listen to what God wanted me to do.
And as it happens, Grace Management is the parent company of Augustine Landing. That's a constant reminder to me that it is by God's Grace that I have this opportunity to serve or to put it in the words of Leviticus, "to keep God's commandments and do them".
It is also a reminder that I need to give some grace to those I serve. And that's even when I don't think they are giving me any!
It really is a blessing to serve!
May you have enough sunshine in your life
to help you appreciate the shadows
