Jackie's Journey "Courageous...I Am Not!"

Once upon a time there was a family that found themselves in the middle of a huge lake on a 75’ Houseboat with six bedrooms; three bathrooms and a massive open kitchen/dining/living room with a Jacuzzi and water slide on the second story!  Sounds outstanding, doesn’t it? This adventure was going to be “above and beyond” with all the comfort and convenience.  They could have moved in permanently!

We had arrived the evening before and boarded just in time to load our things and find a place to fall asleep.  Some slept on the upstairs deck watching shooting stars, while others found comfy bedrooms.  The next morning, we headed out onto the lake.

 Ralph, my husband, Philip, my son-in-law, and I took the houseboat and everyone else loaded into the Ski boat to find a place to moor both boats for the week.  We got a late start and headed in the direction of a specific cove that had been given to us on a map because we were so large it would give us the best protection from the elements (winds, storms!) that we were warned “popped up unexpectantly”.

We found the cove, but passed the entry and began the long circle to turn round…we missed it again…!  We were, by the way, driving a house against the current!  The sun was beginning to slip behind the mountains.  Darkness was now pressing in on us.  We needed to find our destination and adding apprehension to my new set of unknowns…we, somehow, had gotten separated from the Ski boat!  The wind was kicking up (the unexpected element??) and visibility was now limited. We desperately needed both boats anchored on the only sandbar that would meet the need we had for our floating ARK!

 I would like to think that I am a relatively adventurous person.   After all, I had taken our two-year-old daughter and delivered our second child in a foreign country as a young missionary. I left the familiar and comfortable to live among an unreached tribe in the middle of a remote jungle.  When there was no one to suture a machete wound, deliver a baby, set broken limbs and give T.B. injections…I, with trepidation, stepped up to the plate!  So, I must be a little brave…right?

 Courage is the strength from God that enables us to endure any circumstance, trial, or danger with gratefulness, understanding His Sovereign will.  It is demonstrating the confidence that harmonizing with God’s calling and will brings ultimate blessing and victory, regardless of the present circumstances or opposition.

 “Be strong and of good courage,

fear not, nor be afraid; for the Lord your God goes with you;

 He will not fail, nor forsake you.”

Deut. 31: 6

 Would we find this one small sandbar to secure this massive vessel before the pitch-black night swallows us up…or would we succumb to the howling windstorm in front of us…?

 The darkness was fast approaching.  The lake was choppy and our “Ark “was beginning to roll.  In my distraction, I could hear our Ski boat in the distance approaching us!  God miraculously guided us into the exact place on the map that was the only “secure” spot on the backside of this sandbar!  My grandsons jumped off and took the iron stakes, crossed them and anchored them deep into the sandbar. Hastily, my youngest grandson, Christopher, ignited the BBQ and soon we were settled in and looking forward to a Bible Study with Grandpa Ralph before we headed to bed.

 This is the beginning of this story…

the best is yet to come…

Join me for the conclusion…in next Monday’s Blog…

~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 mentoring 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. 

Making the Most of Every Opportunity?

My life verse is Ephesians 5:15 – 17  “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

If you know me, I run most of my life through this filter.

Am I making the most of this opportunity?

Am I wasting time or redeeming time?

Is this activity worth my time? 

Is it God-honoring?

There are so many good things in this world to spend my days doing.

But are they the BEST!?

I learned this saying years ago, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best!”

So this is my goal.

Do I always get it right? Nah.

But it is what I strive for and where I aim my arrow and shoot.

So as I was planning this summer, I used this filter.  We started off the summer in Mexico on a house build project.  After that the kids had a week of serving and attending VBS at our church.  We packed our bags for two weeks in upstate New York at a Christian camp my husband grew up at. At Camp of the Woods, God is the center each day.  The last two weeks of the trip, we have traveled down the East Coast on a history field trip.  We wanted to live out the history we had learned about this year. A hands on approach to studies about our founding fathers who loved God and built our country upon biblical principles.  Another goal was to fellowship with friends and family along the way.

I don’t tell you this to brag about what we did this summer, but simply to point out the thought and planning that went into each week.  The question asked, “Am I making the most of my time with my kids each day this summer? Am I being wise?”

These last days of summer will be spent at home more, as we are bringing home a souvenir puppy from our time on the Amish farm in Pennsylvania.  The kids will get an opportunity to raise and train another being.  Right now, he is very sick with "Puppy Strangles" so we are nursing him back to health.  God knows what our family needs. 

As I am looking to the fall, how can we make the most of every opportunity?  Looking at my children's schedules, why are we doing this activity?  Are the days too full?  Do we have at least 5 family dinners a week? Where are my priorities? 

The grid of Ephesians 5:15-17 helps me put things into perspective.

What about you?  How do you make the most of every opportunity?  I would love to hear different ideas on this topic.

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!