“Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ” Joel 3:10

He Can Use You!

Two years ago for my 70th birthday, I went through seven TUBS of photos in our storage. We always planned to organize them “some day,” but that day never came. As a birthday gift to myself, I went through the tubs and selected photos to put together an album of “through the years” of memories. It was fun, but it took me about a week to go through all the tubs.

I also found stacks and stacks of letters that we had written to each other. Floyd lived in California and I was in Texas, so we mainly got to know each other through our letter writing. I would have loved to have taken time to read all those letters! The one thing I wanted to do was to find the note and letter where Floyd proposed to me… but I wasn’t quite sure where to start with all those stacks. I prayed and just randomly grabbed a small stack… and there was the letter I wanted. That was very kind of the Lord to direct me! I have read it many times since then. I even shared it with my grandkids when they were here at Christmas.

In 1966 Floyd and I were part of a YWAM outreach to the Caribbean islands. To train and prepare, we were all together at a Boy Scout camp in Jamaica. There was no dating, of course, but we did sit together in the meetings. I was remaining in Jamaica for the summer, and Floyd was going to the Leeward and Windward Islands. Shortly before the teams were sent out, Floyd proposed to me. It wasn’t the most romantic setting, although he says it was under the beautiful Jamaican moon. We were standing in line after the evening meeting to get a cool drink before we went to our tents for the night. He handed me a note that said “I love you – will you marry me?” I was so shocked that I turned around and walked off! But he gave me a letter too. The letter was much sweeter and more specific. That’s the letter I found in the photo tubs. The next morning at breakfast, just so you know, I handed him a note and a letter. My note said “I love you too – yes!”

This week as I was missing Floyd, I got that proposal letter out and read it again. It started a wave of memories of our life through the years. We were so young when we married (18 and 21). We had lots of energy, about a “thimbleful” of wisdom, and tremendous zeal. We wanted to share Jesus with the world! We were willing to lay down our lives for Him. We were willing to go anywhere to serve Him. We knew there were many adventures in store for us.

As these waves of memories flooded my mind, tears came to my eyes in worship to the Lord! We had so little to offer Him in our youthful zeal, and yet He used us. I thought back to events in our lives when we saw miracles, breakthroughs, and many come to know Jesus. Looking back, I’m not even quite sure how it all happened except for the goodness and power of the Lord. He showed up time and time again, and His Spirit moved in remarkable ways. I worshipped my way through 53 years of our married life.

God spoke so clearly to me after all this that He is still working in our lives. It’s sometimes hard to see that. Some days I feel so weak and weary, but thinking back over all that has happened through our lives… it wasn’t  dependent on me, on us in our life together… it’s because of who God is. We bring our five loaves and two fish to Him and He uses them for His honor and glory. I believe He is still working in our lives on this unexpected journey, even if I don’t understand it all.

I felt very clearly to say this same thing to anyone who is reading this. God wants to use YOU! You may feel weak and weary like me. You may feel that things in your life are out of control. You may feel that you have little to offer. You may feel that you’ve failed Him in the past. You may be discouraged by things that are happening in our world. You may be without hope. But God is alive IN you, and He wants to work in and through you. Just offer up your loaves and fish and let Him be God in your life!

Lord, help us remember what You have done in our lives! We praise You!