Likewise I returned to my home area to meet up with my cousins. We grew up together. We went to the same Christian schools, camp meetings same church services. Then we grew up and life took us all in different directions. Melissa and Michele, now live in Maryland where we grew up. Paula lives in Fl. and I live in Ohio. Our lifestyles range from contractor to housewife, beautician and Pastor's wife. Not necessarily in that order.
As I drove through the areas I grew up in, so many things have changed! Empty fields are now housing developments. Some businesses gone belly up and some prosper and grow. Some old buildings are renovated and some are decaying. Some places, like the hospital where my Mom took her last breath on this earth has grown so large, I'd not recognize it, if I didn't know any better! And little Friendship airport now known as BWI is a booming airport with airplanes lined up to land and take off.
Even the church I grew up in has changed. The faces of the people I knew have either, moved away, attend another church, passed away or no longer attend church period. There are new faces there for the most part. My cousin- in Law, Ken Clendaniel the Pastor of the church has overseen many changes that have set some people off, because it's not to their liking. I am not taking sides on this issue. People have their preferences, and God gave us all different tastes- for good reason, if we were all the same, life would be boring or total chaos depending on whose likes were "in charge". I do know the Bible says, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." Romans 12:18
The new faces in the church though do represent new life. With that I say we need the "old timers" to help the new life to become mature life. I wonder what will happen to the babes in Christ if they are not invested in? Who will disciple them? I am being remiss here because I have not mentioned my own Dad as well as Howard and Juanita Thomas who have stuck it out through thick and thin and are still attending Oakwood Wesleyan Church after all these years. I know they serve and invest in the work at the church and I know they are an example of faithfulness, which is indeed commendable! My Dad and I have talked and he has advised me in working in the church. There may be times that we may not agree with everything, but if we are all serving the same God, my Dad advises me to put aside the differences and work alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ! That advice has served me well!! I love you Dad!
Ok, so I did not sit down to blog about all of this. I honestly had no agenda, other than to have some outlet to sift through my thoughts and emotions of going "home" over the weekend. As for the four of us cousins, we've all changed too. We've been through life long enough to learn from either the hard knocks or just hands on experience. We've all become mothers since we were last together as a foursome. I pray that we as cousins will continue to seek God, not to get sidetracked by this life.
Monday was Memorial Day, my last day with my family. Dad and Gloria took me by to the graveside where Mom's empty shell was laid to rest. This change even after 9 years, is something I'm still not accustomed to. I look at the burial site and realize that this life is short in comparison to eternity. Simply and honestly the longer I live the more I see this life as a short phase of preparation for eternity. We have things happen in our lives, those things that happen are just a small percentage of life, our reactions and choices to those events are the Big things that will place us in eternity. We can choose to invest the abilities, skills and talents God gives us, or we can bury them and keep them for ourselves or just preserve them. Either way, those are our choices. But the difference will play a big part in eternity. I believe Jesus referred to this in His parable about the 3 servants the master left with money to invest. Two of them invested and had more to give their master when He returned. One buried it and did nothing with it. The outcome for the investors is more responsibility for their reward because they were faithful with a few things, the master put them in charge of many things. The one that buried the money and had nothing extra to give the master had that money taken away.
When I stand before the judgement seat of God, I want to hear Him say well done good and faithful servant. I do not want to hear, "What have you done with the things I gave you?". Simply and Honestly things change, but may I remain faithful where God puts me, faithful with the things God's given me. Regardless of the changes may I emulate my Heavenly Father with whom there is no shadow of turning, Who is faithful through the ages, Who is the same, yesterday, today and forever!
