Teachable moments

"Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise--even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then."

I was reading in Joshua last night when I came across these verses. Since I had mowed the yard earlier Saturday morning while Rusty weed-eated and re-did flower beds, cooked supper (refried beans, Spanish rice, and quesadillas), and cleaned up the very dirty kitchen (yes, I have to use every pot and pan when I do Mexican food), we weren't feeling too spunky by bedtime. We both had headaches but still settled in to read the Bible. When I got to these verses I remarked that I was sure I wasn't going to be like Caleb if I felt this tired at 37.

Fast forward to prayer time at church this morning. I settled into my seat when the lady next to me starts sharing an encouraging word. She was talking about reading the same verses from Joshua that I had read so immediately my ears perked up, but her take from the passage was way better than mine. She shared that if God wants us to be like that at age 85, He can do it. Nothing is impossible with God. I don't know what my future holds, but God's going to give me what I need when I need it. It also taught me to really think about what I'm saying so that I don't miss the bigger picture from God's word. The theme is always with God all things are possible. Isn't it great that we serve an awesome God?

I'm also reminded of how important it is to listen to those who are around us. I get concerned about people who say they don't get fed on the mission field. While it's difficult to continue to pour out for such long period of times to other people, we need to be careful to listen to what goes on around us. I'm thankful when I get to hear someone share an encouraging word because it really does make a difference in my life. There are people who have something to say, and isn't it great that is God is speaking to our Christian brothers and sisters? Let's not miss out on the teachable moments. Sometimes we teach, and sometimes we are taught. Both are important.