Great Commission Churches

April 2007

 

Dear Sisters,

Spring blessings to you!

This month’s article is appropriate to the season, as it contains lessons learned while Neva Whitney was caring for their spring lambs. Despite the fact that she is (in my opinion) already such a great example of working hard to be a helpmeet to her husband, she still sees room for growth in her service.

Do you also want to improve as a “hard worker?” Whether we are serving others in our families, our churches, or at our jobs, Neva reminds us to be available, humble women who are unable to be “inconvenienced.”

This article reminds me of a quote by John Wesley that my husband has been sharing lately:

“Leisure and I have taken leave of one another. I purpose to be busy as long as I live.”

May God help all of us to be stronger workers for God and His kingdom.

In His service,
Sandy

 

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Still Learning to be a Hard Worker After All These Years!

By Neva Whitney, Great Commission Northwest

I have just survived a rather challenging 12 days.

Probably just like a number of your husbands, my husband needs to travel at times, but these last 12 days seemed longer than usual. Four back to back trips! It started with the Front Range Men’s Conference. A lot of men came and I heard that it was a great time. From there he went to a regional leader’s time, meeting with a few men. From there to Columbus, Ohio, to help out in a variety of ways. At least that’s what I picked up. And then finally out to Seattle for a weekend with that dear church.

I decided to make the best of it and get some projects done around the house.

Rick’s travels meant that I also would be in charge of our small flock of sheep.It is a wonderful hobby for Rick, which he says helps keep him sane (but this same flock might just help drive me bonkers). The sheep were a great experience for our children as they were growing up. Now when our children are grown, I get to be in charge when Rick needs to be gone.

It is just a small flock and what my husband does in a few minutes’ morning and evening, and thoroughly enjoys - I seem to have not quite mastered.

When Rick returned one afternoon, before heading out again on another trip, I could tell he saw things that I could have paid more attention to.It started with Bella our dog and how she was pretty worked up. I love her and sometimes do not work with her like I should. I do need to keep training her and she does need the training. And he saw this before he even got to the barn. When we went out to the sheep barn, things were apparently worse. Rick noticed many other things. Things that are important for the health of the flock. We have just had a whole bunch of new baby lambs and they needed more attention then I
probably was giving them. Bottle lambs. Creep rations. Dry pens. I decided to “grin and bear it” and not try to defend my actions, or rather lack of action, during his short time at home before he hit the road again. Early Wednesday morning as I was taking him back to the airport, Rick gave me a list of additional chores to do, much like you might a hired hand, when you were going to be gone and you were not certain how they would use their time. “Neva,” he said, “Honey, you’ll need to do more. Sorry. I sure hope you can handle it.”

“Also you will need to go to the feed store and pick up more feed. And there are some towels from the barn and the dog’s blankets that need to be washed. You might stop at the Laundromat, since you don’t like to wash those things in the
house.” He went on. . . “That one water tank needs to be cleaned out and refilled. . . .Pretty simple. Only take you a minute. Bye. Love you.”

Leaving the airport, I headed toward home and was thinking through what I wanted to share in a talk to a ladies group in one of our Colorado churches later that weekend. I was not thinking at all about what he wanted me to do. Then it hit me. I was going

to be talking about service and having a good servant’s heart. But here I was, not really caring at all about what my partner needed from me. Not living out what I was going to be sharing with all those gals. God wants us to have a servant’s heart, ladies – deep down a servant’s heart!

I had to laugh and reprove myself for doing such a poor job, not being a hard worker, and not being faithful with the little things – the very kind of things that I was going to share with those Christian women. I went straight home and worked till early afternoon that first day getting everything whipped into shape out in the barn. I checked off the things that were on Rick’s “To
Do” list for me. I came up with more things on my own.

Needless to say, I continued to really apply myself the next couple of days so that when Rick came home from his third trip out of four - things would be sparkling. I couldn’t wait for him to go out to the barn and see what a great job I had done with
his flock.

And do you know what? He had such a short time at home before his fourth and final trip, that he hardly even made it out there. Several things had come up that he needed to deal with via the phone, email, and with a last minute meeting. When my husband finally returned I was quite eager to see him and turn the “Golden Shepherd’s Crook” back over to him.

I felt that God had reminded me again, on this very same important lesson, about being faithful, hard-working, and a servant.
And how we need to look at ourselves as a servant and be proud of serving, and serving hard.

Anyway, here are some of my teaching notes from that message I was now eager to give -

A Revolutionary Christian Woman Works Hard Every Day.

Two things –

A. Women who claim to fear God are always servants - to everyone. And we serve our family and other people, not knowing how it will all turn out.

“And I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you the more, am I to be loved the less?” - 2 Cor.12:15

Paul shows here his unquenchable love for the people of God. He was willing gladly to give himself in tireless service for their spiritual welfare. Even if there was no hope of love from them - he would keep on loving them.

This was also our Lord’s example and should be ours as well.

B. Women who claim to fear God cannot and will not be inconvenienced. Are you following me, ladies?

“When Jesus came into Peter's house, He saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on Him.” - Matthew 8:14, 15

At first we think of the mother-in-law and her example of being healed and then serving with renewed dedication and joy.

But then think of what probably went on earlier that day with our Lord. How tired do you think our Lord was? How busy? How often did people have needs and express those needs directly to Him throughout that day?

But He came into the house and again served another needy person. Peter’s
mother-in-law. We often are tempted to think our needs are first. Yet our Lord thought of others and showed us a different perspective.

- How tired are you?
- How many diapers?
- How many phone calls?
- How many messes have you cleaned up this morning?
- How much driving do you have to do? How many errands?
- How many schedules do you have to organize?
- How chaotic are things at your work place?

Do you think you are the busiest person on your block? Maybe, maybe not, but what difference does it make any way? God calls us to serve.