Time is Not Guaranteed

 

Last Sunday, as I was dropping the teenage girls off at Tender Trust Orphanage after our fellowship time, a man came and greeted me. He said he was Grace’s husband. Grace is a beautiful woman who lives near the orphanage. She attended a marriage training that my parents taught in early August. On that day, as my mom shared, Grace came forward crying and rededicating her life to the Lord. She shared a testimony of how people were so cruel to her and thought she was cursed but she sees that God loves her. She was deeply impacted by the love of God that day. I recently saw her in town, she was smiling from ear to ear and waving to me. When I met her husband on Sunday, he said that Grace wanted me to come over and talk to her children, to instruct them on how to stand firm in Christ. I said I would be honored and we would arrange a time that worked. I left and went home.

 

Early Wednesday morning, I got a call from my friend Lois who runs Tender Trust Orphanage. She said that last night at 9:00 pm there were gunshots nearby. At 11:30, someone came to her room to give her the terrible news that someone came and shot Grace and rode off on a motorbike. Grace died. No one knows why it happened. It is a senseless tragedy.

 

So many thoughts are swirling through my mind. First of all, I feel horror and sadness. What a wicked world where someone can be gunned down in front of her family like that, as she’s just outside of her house. No warning, she’s just gone. At the same time, I feel an incredible sense of comfort and relief that Grace rededicated her life to the Lord just recently. I’m so thankful for my mom being faithful to share what God put on her heart for the women, and how He used it to make an eternal difference already.

 

Thirdly, I feel a sense of urgency once again. Today is my mom’s birthday. I am so thankful for her life! She teaches women in New York, faithfully serving there. Because of that, God equipped her to come and share with the ladies here. If she had not been serving already, I am not sure if she would have been so free and comfortable with these women. The Bible says that we should be ready in season and out of season. We should be serving right where God has placed us. We never know if it will be someone’s last opportunity to hear about His love and forgiveness. Time is short for all of us, but for some it is even more so. We just never know.

 

We are all called to be missionaries. Not just those of us who are overseas. God has called you right where you are, for such a time as this. Share His Love, whether you are a stay-at-home mom pouring into your children, an executive surrounded by people with worldly ambitions, an accountant, or whatever it may be. Where you are is your mission field. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, He can equip you to show His Love through your actions, your words, your smile and your prayers. It may make an eternal difference in someone’s life.

 

 

Hi, my name is Erica and I am a God-called missionary for Northern Uganda. It is my passion and life-calling to bring God’s word to the people of the world. Each and every one of us can do our part in spreading God’s word to people in need of Jesus’ healing touch and hope. Trying to figure out if God has called you to the mission field? Do you want to learn more about what it’s like to be a missionary? Check out my book, For the Joy Set Before Us – Insights Into the Missionary Journey today.

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