This is My Story: Zelma

“What we do now echoes in eternity.”-Marcus Aurelius

There are people that come into your life on purpose, to make a lasting impression and impact on our hearts.  One of those people for me was a lady named Zelma.

I was in the fifth grade and my parents had just gotten separated.  My mom and brother and I had moved to a new place, and my mom started taking us to church again.  On Wednesday nights, our church had dinner together, which was lovely by the way.  After that we divided up and went to our own classes according to age.

I don’t remember everything about my class, but I do remember Zelma.  She had bright red hair.  She was an older lady and she was my teacher.  I don’t remember anything she said, but I remember I did not feel alone in her presence.

I was kind of a mess at the time.  My world had just been rocked to pieces.  My parents were in the process of ending their marriage.  I was in the 5th grade, an awkward time.  We were going to a new church, living in a new house, with no dad, and my mom had just given me a terrible haircut.  Go ahead, you can laugh at the last part.  I felt like Samson having his locks shorn.

So, I am in this class feeling awkward around new people, and here is this Bible teacher woman who is reaching out to me and welcoming me into this new environment.  I don't remember all the details, but I do remember that she removed some of the loneliness, and that she gave me a new Bible.  We hadn’t been to church in a while I don’t think, so this was a reintroduction to the things of God.

Sometimes we don’t realize that the smallest of efforts can influence people for eternity.  We are sowing just the smallest of seeds that may seem extremely insignificant, but can have lasting, eternal impact.  I am so thankful that this woman loved God, and took just a minute to love little, messed-up me.

As the years went on, I drifted from God, only to come back to Him in my early twenties.  As I look back, I realize that that because Zelma planted a tiny seed in my heart, God was able to water that seed to produce fruit in my life for His Kingdom and bring this sweet little lamb home.

I still have the Bible.

"The sower sows the word."-Mark 4:14

It's All About Jesus

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.-Ephesians 4:4-7

This has been on my heart for so long. This whole life is about Jesus. Everything we do should come back to Him. When this thing is all over, what will stand is God's Word and the things we did out of love for each other, and out of our love for Him. The body of Christ really needs to start looking for what we have in common, Christ. We need to quit focusing on the differences. It is dividing us and reducing our effectiveness. Let's start loving each other. That is how He said all men would know we belong to Him.

Everybody has been called to do something. I read a lot. One of the things I have been enjoying recently while reading is seeing how God uses these writers to paint a picture of Jesus. It is not a literal picture, but you can see Jesus there, within the pages. Whatever your call is, teacher, doctor, grocery clerk, waitress, Jesus should be pictured there and people should be able to see Him.