Christmas Pledge
Inspired by the September 11th attack on the United States, the Groenewalds moved to Afghanistan in response to God’s call to serve the people who had purposely killed thousands of our own! They lived and served and were martyred by Taliban fighters, as their obedience to God’s call was greater than their fears. The only surviving member tells the story and it profoundly touched my heart. The testimony of that horrific day of murder with AK-47’s and the self sacrificing bomber who obliterated their home is a wake-up call to my commitment to His directing and leading in my life.
“Some give Him a place; some give Him Prominence:
but what Christ wants in our lives is pre-eminence.”
In my spiritual journey, I was a “nominal Christian”, a fan of all things spiritual for the first 18 years of my life. I was the proverbial good girl with this huge longing hole in my life that I had no idea how to fill. How would I find meaning and purpose in a world that was full of others in the same state I was?
Who had an answer?
While reading this testimony of this mother who had lost her husband and two teen-age children, I was again struck with the mandate that “counting the cost” is an imperative, not an option, regardless of our geographical location. When the three men from our village in Pucuro were captured and killed by FARC, a militant group from Colombia, I was reminded of a time in our missionary training when we were challenged to “count the ultimate cost” as a possibility of our decision to be followers of Christ and not just enthusiastic fans!
Being a follower means their will be a price to pay. Salvation is free but it cost you your life! “If Jesus Christ died and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” C.T. Studd
“For me, on the field, it was a life of sacrifice, difficulty and struggles,
and in that the Lord gave us the reward of His presence,” Hannelie said.
“He revealed Himself to us, who He is.” (Hannelie Groenewald)
The reward of His presence, ears to hear His voice and a sense of who He is, is my truth also. A total dependence on an all-knowing God whose plans for me are to prosper me, not harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. Jer. 29: 11 When God walked into my life at age 19, I found the reason for my existence! There was no more longing; there was completeness with purpose and destiny.
As a busy mom is your life filled with Him, His thoughts and His ways? Do your little ones see the Christ that lives in you? Are you struggling to integrate Christ into your demanding life or is He the master of your course…leading, directing?
“There are two kinds of people:
Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done',
And those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way!’”
C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America. Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California. My passion is discipling and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.
