Pray for HIM, not for me!!

The friend who was organizing the ladies' "convention" (retreat) continued to tell me she really wanted me to be a speaker, as I had been for previous retreats. My "no" somehow didn't register.  I had explained why, but I think she was looking at it through her own experience - she had told me (a tad sheepishly) that she herself wouldn't have let her husband's opinion keep her from doing something like this.

The date of the retreat was getting nearer and nearer, and when we'd meet she'd say, "I'm praying that you'll change your mind"...to which I'd reply, "As long as my husband doesn't change his mind, I won't; so if you want me to say 'yes' pray for HIM, not for me!"

The date got closer and closer...and one day Germán said to me that he'd been thinking that maybe he was putting an obstacle in the way of my doing something God wanted me to do...so, if I felt I should accept the speaking invitation, I should go ahead and do it. Basically he said, "I leave it up to you. You decide."

I knew I could most likely prepare the material in time, but I didn't feel comfortable just accepting "right off the bat", without thinking it through. So the next Sunday I stayed home from church, alone, to do just that, and pray. Please, Lord, let me know what I should do! I tried to think of the pros and cons. And He, too, answered, "I leave it up to you. You decide." Then He added, "Whichever way you choose, I'll bless you."

I knew my husband had a valid reason for not wanting me to do this, and I decided to respect that and go to the retreat as one of the many campers. Know what?  I had a great time!  Speakers on occasions like this tend to be regarded as if they're on a different level, not quite so approachable. Now, for the first time, I was just one of the group, and I found that it made me more approachable. More and more of the ladies chatted with me, or confided in me, and were more relaxed.

That was one blessing.  Another was that my friend still sought me out for confirmation and opinions, as she always had before, so I continued to be a support to her even when I wasn't officially one of the leaders.  (She is a very talented organizer; she just needed to have someone with whom to go over things.) This made me feel that I hadn't "abandoned" her! (Another special "extra" He gave me was the opportunity to sleep at one of the missionary homes near the retreat center, as I wouldn't have lasted long in the dorms, with all the noise!)

The main theme for the retreat was "Gifted to Serve", the speaking centering on the gifts God has given each one of us, and I had written a theme song for the retreat with that in mind.  The last night was a big wrap-up of activities, full of fun and joy...before the ladies headed back to their respective homes scattered throughout the country.  I had one more "gift" for them.

I had noticed during the retreat the singularly funny things that happened or were said, things that stood out. I suddenly got the idea of compiling them into a "forecast" of what we would all be like 50 years later. I placed us all in an  Old Ladies' Home, and then, choosing a dozen or more of the funny things, described each one within that context, telling a story that was...amusing.  No, that's not the word...it was

HILARIOUS!! Up on the platform, reading them all this "prophetic" story, I could see and hear the women laughing so hard that some of them were bent over double, clutching their stomachs, and a few were almost literally "rolling in the aisles". (Later, everyone clamored for a copy of the story to take home.) I think this was another of the blessings He had promised. I'm sure His sense of humor is fantastic...it has to be for Him to have given us one! I think He put the idea in my mind for this story that provided a detail that would always link us and be a sweet reminder of the good time He had afforded us.

Thanks for "listening" to me as I remember all this, and sharing through my eyes the experiences of God's tender and undeserved goodness!