Friday, September 18, 2009

Comfort Zone

One of the best ways to move forward after the loss of your spouse is to stay busy helping others. God left us here for a purpose and we should seek His wisdom in what we are to be doing while left here on earth. Philipians 2:4 - "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing."

A few months after I became a widow I knew that God was calling me to get out of my comfort zone. I had been a preschool Sunday School teacher for over 30 years and I always thought that was my life's ministry. My desire for teaching 4 and 5 year olds soon left and I decided to attend a women's Sunday School class instead (I really needed to develop friendships and have fellowship with other women). The Sunday School lessons were just what I needed at that time in my life and I soon felt God calling me into another kind of ministry; I just wasn't sure what kind.

I met another lady at church who lost her husband about 2 months after my loss and our friendship grew. After going out to eat and visiting a few times, we knew we were on the same page and that God was calling us both to get out of our comfort zones. We decided not to dwell on the negatives of life, but to find a way to help others in our church who needed to be encouraged.

One of our pastors and secretary helped us by inviting widows from our church to a meeting, and thus a support group was started. We have been meeting together for one year as of August 2009 and we enjoy food, fun and fellowship on a monthly basis. We also have a monthly newsletter giving helpful tips, up-coming activities and uplifting devotionals. What a fitting name to be called the "Encouragers."

This ministry has blessed me in so many ways and I feel privileged to be a part of God's plan as we encourage each other.

2 comments:

  1. Amen! I think it is wonderful that you have got out of your comfort zone to go support others. In the hustle and bustle of life it is too easy to get caught up in our own issues. You are right, God calls to support others and be there for them.

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  2. Thank you for saying that and yes I do agree. My problem is I don't have childern. I live alone so when I come home it just hard sometime. The loneliness really gets to me.

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