Keep your heart open for opportunity
“When God measures a man, He puts the tape around the heart, not
the head.”
-- Unknown
My thanks to all of you who showed your interest and encouragement
after last week’s column. If you missed it, it was about a woman
named Colleen Redit who felt God called her at a very young age to be
a missionary to India someday. She heard that specific call at the
age of 13 and when she was 23, she set off overseas with no finances
and no clear focus.
She simply chose to be obedient to God’s leading, and God has
expanded her ministry in phenomenal ways. Hers is an amazing story of
the difference one man or woman can make by being obedient to God.
It’s been fascinating to watch how contagious Colleen’s love of
and obedience to God has been since her talk and the column. Last
week, she shared that her latest dream is to purchase land or a
building for a permanent home for the school she runs in India. She
also prays to one day complete a retreat center with grass and
playgrounds. It’s hard to believe there are thousands of children and
adults who have never even seen grass or open space.
A friend of mine named Teri told me about one of her friends who
had been praying specifically for God’s guidance for a month or two
about giving financial support to a special foreign mission project.
She was curious what it would be and how God would make it clear to
her. She heard Colleen when I did and she was moved and motivated to
give her a check right then and there. Since then some other friends
started a matching grant program with the goal of giving Colleen the
needed funds by Thanksgiving.
It will be exciting to see how the story continues and what lives
will be touched and changed, perhaps eternally. I’ve had many
inquiries about becoming involved in this particular organization
which is called Christian Missions Charitable Trust. If you are one
who felt God’s gentle nudge to love others in this way, you can
e-mail Mary Hendricks at maryh@firstfruit.org or call her work
number, (949) 759-5846.
There are many amazing things about this country. From sea to
shining sea, there are countless opportunities and many worthwhile
organizations to belong to, and to give to as well. My calendar and
the crisper weather tell me that we are in the fall, or autumn
season. We are also quickly approaching holidays that will hopefully
remind us of all we have to be thankful for and of God’s love for us.
Maybe God has a unique call for us this fall. The wonderful thing
is that we can contribute our time, our talents or our finances in
small or large ways to make a difference. We can participate with our
families, with our friends or simply on our own.
Ruth Peale said it well when she said to “Find a need and fill
it.”
All we need to do is to open our eyes and ears or open the
newspaper, and we will see, hear or read about many meaningful
opportunities. Most of all, I pray that God would open our hearts.
And you can quote me on that.
* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks
frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at
cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,
Newport Beach, CA 92658.
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