Speed Up for the Finish Line~Don’t Slow Down

This senior season it would be so simple to slip into rest and solitude for me. I am extremely good at saying no thank you to invitations and opportunities to be with others. Yes, I have been bold in sharing my faith with others in the form of my book. But calling a friend or spending time with others is much more difficult for me. I know that God is shifting my focus for a podcast that He keeps pressing me to start. No longer do I believe I am to be the single voice over the airwaves. It is His Will that I have conversations with others to share our life stories not just mine. 

Paul wrote the above quote while he was in prison awaiting death and chained in a cold underground cell. Even in those circumstances, his heart’s desire was to continue sharing the love of Christ with others. It is clear to me that each of us has opportunities to reach out or hold back. This calling is not about a book, a blog, or a podcast. It is to be there for others throughout our daily routines. To create the connections that we need to have in life. 

You all must be exhausted by my words always being about how I need to reach out more but rarely actually pick up the phone. It is so comfortable to get in the routine of only connecting with a handful of comfortable people rather than including a wider network of people into life. I apologize to each of you. But I write what God puts on my heart and He knows that I stubbornly need to be reminded and encouraged time and time again. The struggle is not that I am too busy but that I isolate myself. That is so frustrating to me. Thankfully, God never gives up on me and how I strive to live my life for Him.

 

Expect a call from me or better yet, call me. Kick me in the butt to share a cup of coffee and conversation. Smack me in the head to pick up the phone when you call and converse. How many of us are sitting here alone with our cup of hot coffee when we could be sharing it with someone in our contact list of phone numbers? Young Life has a directive………..never do anything alone that you could do with a teen. That means whether you are spreading fertilizer in your garden or returning items you never should have purchased to Target. Call a teen and ask them to join you. The same is true with life as a retired person or a mom with littles. Invite someone to join you. Isn’t it true that we all have a need to be included? But just don’t limit your invitations to your handful of peeps. Call someone you haven’t connected with in a while. They may be shocked initially to hear from you but oh what joy to catch up. That is how we turn our handful of people into so much more. 

So here is to running our race well every step of the way. It is so much more rewarding when we know that those we spend time with here will join us in heaven one day. These connections are for forever and so worth pursuing. 

In Him,

Joyful

9-21-25