Major Milestones: Celebration, Reflection, Anticipation
It’s a big year for me. I am celebrating 50 years of serving God with Campus Crusade for Christ/Cru. Wow! Who knew I would have this privilege for so long!
And it’s a big day tomorrow. On April 17 I turn 70. Which is still shocking to me. I don’t feel 70. I don’t think I look it. And I know I don’t act it.
Such milestones are certainly times for reflection, for looking back and for looking forward
Today I met with three other women I have worked with on a project for quite a few years. It was a time of celebration for what God enabled us to do, and it was a time for grieving because it was finished. We loved the opportunity, the experience, the people. And we would miss it.
But each of us was already anticipating what God would lead us into next. And then we realized—all of us were grandmothers. And not a one of us assumed it was time to quit. It was time to look forward, to seek God’s plan for our futures.
One thing I’m sure of: God’s plan for each of us is for our whole lives. When He tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that He made each of us as a work of art, to do the good works He has prepared for us, He meant from birth to death.
Purpose in life begins with a newborn—I know my baby daughter who cried for four months had a great impact and ministry in my life. And when my husband’s mother lay silently in bed for the last two years of her life, unaware and unknowing, she had a powerful influence on her son as he sat with her.And in between birth and death, we grow and learn and discover who God made us. We explore and experiment and find what we do well, where we shine. We pursue our life work, we serve God, we care for family and friends. We become who He made us to be and do what He created us to do. We reflect His image and express His love and tell His story.
My story doesn’t end until it ends. Nor does yours.
So now I think about the future. I am still pursuing the assignments God has given me. I have open mind and open heart for what He still has ahead for me. Though I do need to rest a little more, I am still eager to be and do all God has for me.Whether I have two days or two years or 22 years, I want to be wholly His, wholeheartedly giving myself for other others and for His kingdom. I want to be like Caleb, who at 85 years said, “Give me that mountain.”
Over the next few months I hope to write about some of the things God has done in my life, the truths He has taught me, the opportunities He has given me. I hope you will join me on this journey—from the past to the future.
What about you? What is a recent milestone in your life?
C2014 Judy Douglass
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