Orderly

Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40 KJV)

My agenda for this week is in shambles. Though it was laid out as orderly as these lettuce crops, it didn’t remain orderly. A doctor decided David needed another test, and our “Together We Can Change” ladies met Tuesday – I forgot that until during church on Sunday.

So, instead of planting my own lettuce and tomatoes for a homegrown BLT, I’ve been away from home.  Oh, I did purchase some plants, and I do have seeds, but they are far from the ground. I would not have traded the time, though.

Tuesday I counted change donated to make changes in lives. We used part of that to purchase skirts for a group of young ladies headed to Bible college. We also sorted through ties destined for young men in that same college, as well as planning to obtain shirts for them. There were bags sewn last month to be filled with personal hygiene items for children – toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, combs – all for classes to be taught in a mission school that our church helps support.

We read letters from three of the children we are sponsoring through another program, praying for changes in their lives. One in English, two in the most beautiful swirled alphabet that had been translated for those of us confined to a single language. It’s a blessing to touch their lives through Bridge of Hope:

It only takes $35 a month to give a child everything they need—school supplies, a daily meal, medical checkups and more—to attend a Bridge of Hope Center. 100% of your sponsorshipis sent to the field to support your child.

Now that’s what I call getting things done in an orderly manner, whether my week goes as scheduled or not. When I measure what I had in mind and what was done in God’s name, I remember a verse where the direction of a man’s life was changed. Paul wrote:

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV)

Well, I haven’t labored more abundantly than any other – yet it is by God’s grace I am what I am. Regrettably, my life, my home, my time – none are as orderly as those rows of lettuce in that field above!

I also gave a devotional lesson yesterday – a slightly longer version of what I posted yesterday about Boston. I continue in prayer for all hurting from that tragedy. Spend some time with me, praying for healing, for comfort, for understanding that even when evil people accomplish evil deeds, God is not ignoring us. While we do not know why these deeds are allowed, we do know that there are consequences of sin. We also have the comfort given through so many Bible verses, including:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4 KJV)