Marie turns 72....With a crowded room full of friends, we celebrate Marie's 72 birthday while she beams on. We are so moved by loving her, our(my) lives are changed. I have learned so much over the last year and have so much more to learn. Trying to be so careful to not be so "superior" over folks who are "poor"...THEY are teaching me. It has helped me to question every move I make.
I met Marie a year ago at the freemarket, she came because she was in need, of course, food and "stuff". I got to know her a little and invited her to come back and help, now she's a member of NM, comes daily, she's the "Opener", gets there first and opens up for me and the rest..she loves that job. She's in charge of the linen room on Sat. and she always gets hospitality ready..I love her...Marie was orphaned by her mother, a story that is often repeated in our friends, giving children "away". Marie's father died when she was 7, she quit school in the 7th grade to begin working. She never married, never had children, and she was "adopted" by a family friend and has lived there ever since.
In the beginning of our working together Marie would hide things she'd find in the bathroom and then take them home, she thought I didn't know. The rule is when you volunteer, you can't take...Marie doesn't have the need to hoard when she volunteers anymore. She still loves "stuff."....plastic flowers, crafts from others, the crocheted toilet roll dolly that sits on the back of the toilet...just awaiting to be useful. Just like me, we look for things to fill our lives, when I'm not careful, serving will replace my relationship for God. I fill my lives with things too...just not stuff. I'm trying hard to be more like Marie(Mary), and trust God for all I need. Loving Marie..she calls me"Boo". I love that.
"...When I'm not careful, serving will replace my relationship for God." Oh, what a truth in there, Cassie. I hear that. And when I'm still, I can see things like that happening in myself. Why am I here again, Lord? Apparently, I didn't learn this lesson the 20th time.... He is so gracious to love us through our misunderstandings and our attempts to "be good."
ReplyDeleteMarie is a beautiful story of the FM and a beautiful story of God's provision for those whom He loves.
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ReplyDelete"...When I'm not careful, serving will replace my relationship for God."
ReplyDeleteThis statement constantly comes to my mind since reading it.
Jesus tells us "To seek first the kingdom of heaven." That speaks to our relationship with God first. How deep in my soul I know that it is through my relationship with God, my walk with Jesus, that God will reveal his purposes for my life. The fruit of serving God is from the overflow of a real, authentic relationship with God. I so often try to reverse that, to seek my purpose through serving him without consulting him or asking God to catch up with me. I find I often Seek and/or define my identity through my service. A Forgetting that "It is in Christ Jesus that we find who we are and what we are living for." Thank you for the reminder that God desires for each of us to have a loving relationship with him first and to be intentional about daily walking with Jesus. He will reveal the rest in his perfect timing.
October 18, 2009 5:51 PM