Well, I’m finally doing it! Writing my first blog post. This is something that I’ve been thinking about for quite a long time. Names have run through my head (“Graceful Wit”, “Laughing with Grace”, etc) but none of them seemed to take hold in my daily life. For those of you who know me personally, I am not a graceful person. In fact my dad used to say, “Way to go, Grace” as a method of taunting me when I would drop something or trip over air. I think my parents thought I would grow out of it, but, alas, I still stumble, and usually keep an extra shirt in my car just in case I happen to spill food on my shirt (yes, I’m serious, and yes, it happens almost weekly).
Ok, back on topic. Just this week, the name of this blog came to me. Our church’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) began Wednesday. With this being our first VBS with the church we’ve joined, I was ready for new experiences, new kids, and a new way of doing things. But, I was not ready for last night. Just as VBS began, so did the torrential downpour, thunder & lightning. A usual southern afternoon thunderstorm…nothing to worry about. Only, it didn’t stop. The rain just kept coming down in sheets, turning our parking lot into a swimming pool fit for the high dive. I am a floater (no pun intended) during VBS, helping out wherever necessary. My husband walks up to me to say, “The drain in the parking lot is completely stopped up. I’m doing the craft time and can’t leave. You’re in sandals. Can you go fix it?”
……What?…..
I stand there for a split second trying to process what he said, and I go do it without a second thought. That second thought came when I walked out the back door in pouring rain and was trying to find the drain, but to no avail. So I ran home (we live behind the church), grabbed my rain boots and a broom, went back down, and a man from our church is barefoot, digging in the drain. The two of us dig, and sweep, blindly trying to clear the drain. Cups have blown everywhere, cones and pool noodles are scattered about, even a chair got blown about 50′ away. Long story short, we finally cleared the drain, my friend and I are soaking wet, and I go back home to dry off. While I’m home, a thought springs up in my heart and in my head. My husband sent me, a woman, to go clear a drain, by myself. I felt it was unfair and kind of rude to send a lady (ha!) into the storm. But after thinking about it last night, I jokingly said to him, “I guess I’m still taking ‘Life in the Ministry 101′.” He knew that I would get the job done, no questions asked. I’m fresh to this life called “ministry”…putting Christ, the lives of others, and the church in general above myself. Digging a drain was about letting go of my pride and embracing the service that God has called my husband and me to do. Whether it’s singing in church, teaching a class, or apparently digging a drain, keeping my focus on Christ rather than myself is a lesson that I’m constantly learning. VBS still went on, and I was able to lead a tender-hearted teenager to Christ. And that, my friends, is really what it’s all about.
In the next blog post, I’ll let you in on a little bit more about me, my pretty awesome husband, and our crazy, wonderful life.
Until next time,
Amy
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