I read an article yesterday that had a profound impact on me. Entitled "Good begets good", and appearing in the January 2011 issue of The Lutheran, is a story about a hospice patient, Sally Warrick, who discovered a purpose while she spent long and lonely days homebound in a remote area of Missouri. At the encouragement of her hospice worker she began to stitch tote bags as a way to pass the time, it wasn't long before she realized that this was, for her, a call to serve. These bags will hold school supplies for children in need around the world through a program sponsored by Lutheran World Relief. In the last four years she has sewn 1,000 bags and been removed from hospice care except for medication to treat persistent pain. She has a new goal, to sew 1,000 more bags! She credits the use of her treadle sewing machine as good therapy for her lower extremities. Today I am inundated by talk surrounding resolutions. I am not going to publish a goal list here. What I have done, though, is fill out a worksheet for myself. I found it online and you can too, by clicking here. My hope for 2011 is to live with renewed purpose. I have identified and rank-ordered priorities and values, I have also made a list of activities I hope to accomplish both short and long-term; but more than that I have a renewed idea regarding living with purpose and know that I have it within my ability to remove obstacles that stand in the way of purposeful discipleship; just like Sally did! Compared to health issues such as these, any obstacles that I encounter are small potatoes by comparison, but that's not the point; the point is purpose and the emphasis is on being all that He wants me to be... here and now!Mark 1: 29-31 ~ Jesus "came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them."
Happy New Year!
Life is Good!
Life is Good!
12 comments:
Excellent post! I think if we all choose to live with *renewed purpose*, we won't need to make resolutions. ;-)
Wishing you and yours a very blessed 2011.
Thank you for posting this, Mrs. G. Did you notice Sally's camo pants? *smile*
I love this post! Thank you for putting into words what I feel about this new year. The story about Sally was quite touching and inspiring.
Great post! My word for the year is Hope. Hope gives rise to renewed purpose. Maybe my Word should be Hope but my sentence be "Hope ...giving rise to renewed purpose!"
A great sign for my sewing room. Thanks for sharing.
I loved your post, so inspiring...and to be all HE wants us to be...just love it!
Happy New Year!
Thank you for the link for the living with purpose!
Being what He wants us to be is truly the best goal there is! Thanks for the link. :) blessings, marlene
All I can say is Amen and Thanks!
DD
The "purpose-driven life" was all the rage in Baptist circles not so long ago, but it seemed to leech into the usual passivity, or so it seems in my neck of the woods. The truth is, we were BORN for purpose! Such a good word, Mrs. G...and a call to good works, not just for good works' sake, but because it is who we are meant to be!! (Didn't He wash the disciples feet just to demonstrate the principle of serving!?)
OH ME (as well as amen! :-D)!
Blessings,
Mary Lou
Inspiring post, Mrs. G!
You have to love and appreciate Sally's combat pants. That woman has gone to battle with the challenges of life and in the battle she won the war. She found not only her purpose but her life's calling. And best of all, she has lived long enough to truly, physically, realize it. So wonderful and very beautiful. May we all do the same...day by day, bags and baggage, included.
What a great manner to refocus at the start of a new year. With so many new points in my life, I'm trying to do things with focus and purpose, by doing this I intend to clear out the clutter, physical and mental.
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