Last week. God blessed me with the opportunity to be the speaker at the Franklin First United Methodist Church Women of the Vine’s Quiet Meal.  As I looked over the sea of expectant faces, I wondered, What am I doing here? God reminded me that I’ve been commanded to tell others about Jesus. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you .And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Why is it that I am willing to go to the other side of the world and share my testimony, and not travel three blocks from my home church and do the same thing?

A few weeks ago, a mentor asked me if I’d considered public speaking and I felt the same knot in my stomach as when God asked me to write a book. When God asks me to do something, my knee-jerk reaction is to say, “I can’t do it.” Because of my mentor’s question, I’d had time to think about public speaking. Therefore, when I received the request, I’d had time to work through my typical knee-jerk response and said, “Yes.”

The Quiet Meal is an annual event, and the women who attend are asked to refrain from speaking, to sacrifice the opportunity to enjoy conversation. We gathered in the sanctuary, lit by candlelight and listened to soft music and prayed silently. After a simple meal, eaten in silence, I spoke from Exodus 35:29

All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

I love that the scripture above includes the word anything. There are so many times in my life when I feel inadequate, useless, and flawed. But this scripture reminds us that we have something to sacrifice to the Lord and perhaps my “anything” to sacrifice last week was my pride, or my willingness to risk appearing foolish, in an effort to grow His kingdom. I’m not a professional speaker, and I could easily come up with a dozen reasons to decline the request to be the guest speaker. But on this one occasion, I complied with God’s urging, and the women blessed me with encouragement.

God gives everyone gifts and offers us the opportunity to be a part of His plan. He doesn’t need us, but I’m so very grateful for his patience with me when I’m a reluctant servant. He blesses me far more than anything I could ever deserve.

The special blessing I received after the program, was delivered by a friend from my high school days. Years ago, my friend’s house burned and her family lost everything. It’s not unusual for citizens in my hometown to respond to such an incident by showering the homeowners with gifts, but my mother’s gift to her was unusual. It made my heart soften to listen to my friend describe a treasured quilt Mama delivered to her.  Others might buy something new, but Mama preferred to offer gifts that included a piece of her heart. My friend said she still cherishes the quilt.

My friend, like my Mom, has faced many storms, but I have rarely seen her without a smile. She stands firm in faith, lives her life with joy, and knows that, “…Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5 

I appreciate hearing this story about my mother and I am thankful for my friend who appreciates the effort and artistic ability a hand-stitched quilt requires, when others might prefer blankets purchased at retail store.

In honor of Mama’s gift, I want to offer a present to one of my readers. My Mothers Quilts: Devotions of Love, Legacy, Family and Faith written by my friend, Ramona Richards releases this week. I’ll draw a name from my subscribers on Monday morning, March 14, 2016 and announce it on Facebook. I’ll include the name of all my subscribers in the drawing. If you don’t win the book, you might want to considering purchasing it as a gift book for Mother’s Day. But I’ll warn you, you won’t want to give away your copy.  http://www.amazon.com/My-Mothers-Quilts-Devotions-Legacy-ebook/dp/B017AOK41I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1457475017&sr=8-2&keywords=My+mothers+quilts+by+ramona+richards

The author, Ramona Richards, has promised to be a guest on my blog in a few weeks, so please subscribe. You won’t want to miss her post.

#mymothersquilt