There is a hashtag going around on Instagram called #thestoriesofourhouses. My wise friend Lori (environmentsofgrace) started it to encourage us to share the memories attached to our houses, furniture and special pieces in our homes. That is right up my alley because pretty much all my stuff comes with a story. The one I wanted to share about today was apparently three sentences too long for Instagram and there was nothing in the story I wanted to cut out so here I am.... forced to blog. lol.
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to pop over here to read it. I pray it blesses you.
Years ago when Nick was called to his first church, there was a sweet lady who lived in the community named Ms Dot. She and her husband were very active at a church in town where they had been members for many years. I would stop by to visit them from time to time to check on them and was so drawn to Ms Dot's demeanor. She had a quiet spirit, the most inviting smile and always had a twinkle in her eye.
She would call me often to invite me to the ladies bible study that her church had each week and always mentioned it when I stopped to visit. But as a brand new pastor's wife with young children and demands of our own church activities, I would always decline her invitation. Ms Dot never gave up though and one day she caught me in a "weak" moment and I said yes. Mad at myself for adding yet another thing to my over committed schedule, I begrudgingly kept my promise out of my respect for Ms Dot and went with her.
Well, that bible study turned out to be a game changer for my entire life. It was the first in-depth bible study I had ever done and God used it to ignite a flame and passion for His word that I had never experienced before. This became the foundation for all that I am and all that I am still becoming in Christ today! I am forever grateful for Ms Dot's quiet tenacity and persistence to not give up on the young new preachers wife down the road.
Now how do these peacocks fit into this story?? Well, a few years later Ms Dot's husband passed away and she decided to move into town to be closer to her church family. Our church bought her house and it became our new parsonage. When we moved in, I found these little beauties in a box out in the shed that Ms Dot had made years ago. They became instant treasures of mine...reminding me of Titus 2 & the role we as women of God, have to mentor and invest into the next generation whose coming behind us.
"Tell older women to live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. Tell then not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of virtue. In this way they will teach young women to show love to their husbands and children, to use good judgment, and to be morally pure, Also, tell them to teach young women to be homemakers, to be kind, and to place themselves under their husbands' authority. Then no one can speak evil of God's word." Titus 2:3-5
Maybe you have a Ms Dot in your life that you have been putting off because life is just too busy to add one more thing. Girl, when you have a woman whose willing to make time to pour into you what God has taught her through the years from His Word along with her life experience, she is worth her weight in gold! Make the time. You won't regret it.
And maybe some of us are supposed to BE a Ms Dot to a young woman in our lives. Not only is that a privilege, it's a command for us in God's word. It's how we help make the Body of Christ beautiful and powerful and functioning the way God designed.
Make the time.
#sayyestoyourMsDottoday #beaMsDot
