1 Peter 4:10 — Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

This week Deborah is sharing insight about retirement and service to God. Entering retirement after a lifetime of structured labor is daunting for some people, while others chase it like a child running to an ice cream truck.

What we do with our time in retirement, like how time is spent in the workforce, matters. Opportunities to be of service to God are all around us, especially if we actively seek ways to serve. Before I retired in the summer of 2021 I prayed God would use me for His glory.

While filling out retirement paperwork with Julie, who I barely knew, a desk photo of her father led to a conversation about him. We discovered her father and I were stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas at the same time in the 1970s.

After meeting Julie I started following this Water Walkers’ blog.  As I read the blog for a week or so, I realized my passion for photography could be useful and volunteered to submit photos to occasionally accompany their posts. That led to submitting daily photos, then later helping with planning and editing. Working on this Water Walkers blog with Deborah and Julie has been a rich blessing from God.

If we ask God to provide opportunities to serve Him, then listen to and follow the Holy Spirit, we will find blessings beyond measure at any time of our life.

Let’s pray:  Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings You provide and please lead me to opportunities to serve You and proclaim the salvation offered by Christ Jesus. Amen.

Jesus said in Mark 11:24 NIV — Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

My husband, Clark, and I have had many changes occur in our lives within the last year. Last January Clark’s parents moved in with us due to his dad’s declining health. At that time, Clark was already working toward his retirement date of December 30, 2023 from law enforcement. While he mostly enjoyed his years of service, the latter part of his career was spent in administration at the detention center which was very stressful. Clark was eager to retire and alleviate the stress. In the months leading up to his retirement, he would spend time in the evenings browsing online sites for job openings and searching for what he may do next. He would say he didn’t know what he wanted to do when he grew up. I would tell him the right job hadn’t shown up yet because he couldn’t apply until closer to his retirement. I told him at the right time the right job would be there.

November 5, 2023 Clark’s dad fell and broke his femur which resulted in surgery and weeks of being in a rehabilitation facility. Due to the seriousness of his break and his age, the doctors said it could be a year of recovery. After being in the rehab facility for 7 weeks, he was still not able to put any weight on the broken leg. As it turned out, Clark’s dad would be returning home a week before Clark’s retirement. We all realized how much care he would need and began praying about how we would care for him. The Sunday before he came home, Clark and I discussed the predicament on our way to church. While at church someone asked Clark how his dad was doing. After talking with that person, another person asked about his approaching retirement date. Clark said it was like it just hit him like a ton of bricks. The answer to our predicament. God was telling him his job after retirement was to stay home and help his mom take care of his dad. Bam! Answered prayers! Clark felt peace about his epiphany and I am confident he will never regret this time at home caring for his dad. Retirement may not always come as we plan or look how we imagined, but God always has a plan! We just have to trust and obey.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for answered prayers. Open my eyes to Your plans for me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV — There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Life is full of seasons. For some of us, one season is a time spent working on a career, often with many hours spent away from home. Those who have a career usually dedicate many years in the workforce. Then comes the time to retire. The way everyone arrives at retirement may look different. For some, their career has been enjoyable and fulfilling which makes retirement bittersweet, while others may have experienced abundant stress that led them to speed up the retirement process. What season are you in with your work life? Are you just beginning your career? Are you in the trenches of the workforce or have you retired? This week I will share with you my recent experiences in this season of my life, and challenge you to closely examine your current season.

Let’s pray: Dear God, thank You for the seasons of life. Open my eyes to the reality of my current season so I may see Your presence and work in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV — But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

I have always loved today’s featured Bible verse as it refers to jars of clay. I have only worked with clay in very amateur projects but when I think of my experiences I know that the clay has to be soft and pliable in order to manipulate and mold it. When I think of our relationship with Christ, I think we should be like clay. We must be soft and pliable in order to be moldable. We must allow ourselves to be vulnerable to God. We must be willing to follow His will.

This week we have looked at various ways that being vulnerable can be positive instead of the usual negative connotations associated with the word. As we finish this Friday, I encourage you to intentionally be vulnerable. Allow yourself to be soft and pliable so God can mold and shape you into His vessel. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, help me to be vulnerable in my relationship with You. Show me ways to be soft and pliable so You can mold and shape me into the vessel You would have me be. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

In John 13:34-35 NIV Jesus directs us — A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

My high school composition teacher told our class, “The amount you love is dependent on how willing you are to be hurt.” I must say, when she first told us this, I brushed it into the corner of my mind not believing a word of it. However, as I lived and learned, I found she was exactly right. Truly loving someone requires vulnerability. As we have learned, being vulnerable means exposed and susceptible. This sounds terrible! However, letting down our protective fences, trusting others with our emotions, and sharing life’s ups and downs, can all be beautiful blessings. Loving one another is not easy, but loving others can be our greatest testimony of our relationship with Christ. Love is how others will know we are His disciple. 

Spend some time examining your relationships with others. Do others see the love of Christ in your interactions? Is it evident you are His disciple in your reactions and responses? Be aware today as you are around others. Be intentional about showing God’s love so others will know you are His disciple.

Let’s pray. Dear God, open my eyes to my actions and reactions. May all that I say and do today be done with love so others will know I am Your disciple. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

Galatians 6:2 NIV — Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Water walking Wednesday is an opportunity to intentionally take a step out of your boat of comfort and walk on water, allowing God to guide you toward His will. Water walking requires you to be vulnerable. A couple of synonyms for “vulnerable” are  exposed and susceptible. 

When Julie and I first began our Waterwalkers blog, our goal was to share our ordinary lives, full of struggles and storms, in the hopes that others would relate. We wanted you, the reader, to see that our Christian walk is not so different from your Christian walk. In order to truly show you that we are all similar, we had to let down our guard and be vulnerable. We had to walk on water and expose our flaws and failures. In return, all of you have shared our burdens and joined with us in prayer. Over the years, some of you have reached out to share your struggles with us so we may also share your burdens. That is what Christ calls us to do. Sharing struggles with one another requires us to be vulnerable and step out of our boats of comfort. Water walking is not easy, but God always rewards our step of faith with His grace and mercy. Let’s spend time in prayer asking God for guidance and direction, be vulnerable to His will, and then let’s go walk on water! 

Let’s pray. Dear God, guide and direct my steps. Reveal Your will, give me strength and courage, and show me when and where to step out of my boat of comfort and walk on water with You. Help me to lovingly carry the burdens of others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

James 1:2-4 NIV — Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Believe it or not, everyone has struggles. Everyone! No one’s life is perfect. If we allow it, our life on Earth is a constant learning lab, as we strive to be more like Christ. In the middle of difficulties, we often do not see how any good could possibly come from such storms. However, God never fails to use hardships to teach us and make us more Christ-like, if we allow Him. That is the catch, You and I have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable in order for God to mold us. We have to “let go and let God” lead us through the storms of life. Take a moment to listen to this song that is an oldie but goodie. “Eye of the Storm” by Ryan Stevenson reminds us that through the storms of life, God is with us. In the middle of difficulties we must lean into God, be vulnerable to His will, and trust that our perseverance will grow our faith.

Let’s pray. Dear God, help me to let go of control, be vulnerable to Your will, and trust Your guidance through the storms of life. May I allow You to mold and shape me to be more like Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.