‘We met a lady in Value Village, she told me her story, she was widowed two weeks ago and wants to connect with a community, especially to pray. We talked about looking forward. I sent her to Willow Park’

‘We were chatting to a couple from Cambodia, she belonged to the boat people fleeing Vietnam, she eventually found Kelowna and met her husband. I’ll go back to visit them at their shop’

‘We took your recycling today. But gave it to a homeless lady who was angry and upset. She’d only made a dollar in recycling since 8 this morning. I like to think of it as giving Jesus my empty bottles. She was happy’

Story after story – names and more names. New friends.

Bob, Dave, Iris…

Yes, my Mom is visiting Kelowna for the first time this week, and is enjoying every minute. Every time Mom and Dion leave the house for their twice daily walks around our local town of Rutland they meet people, they stop, they talk, they ask questions, not only that they really want to know answers. This results in an instant disarming connection and you can know that wherever their story goes, Mom will introduce One whose story we were born to belong.

Mom’s feet!

So my immediate response is ‘should I be walking the streets of Rutland to hear stories’? Not necessarily, I believe the point is this – my Mom is fulfilling her calling as an evangelist and is doing this by stepping out of the house, walking to keep her self fit, alongside saying ‘here I am’

Living a life of ‘show me who lord, show me where’.

And then, I hear this:

Am I stepping out where I should be.

Am I walking my neighbourhood seeking out the lonely.

Am I being a voice where mommy porn is norm.

Am I writing the book I am called to write.

Am I painting that inspired piece representing injustice.

Am I ready to get on that plane with and suitcase full of mosquito nets.

Am I buying extra tins of food for food bank.

Am I?

Am I ready to switch off Facebook and dive deep into the eyes of the children I’m entrusted with.

Am I calling a sitter to book that long awaited date night.

I am with I AM.

Are you?

Yes, but how Michelle, how do I find my place?

Answers can always be found in God’s word, I read this chapter this morning and wonder if this is where it begins.

It’s long. But worth every second you spend reading, meditating and digesting it.

Ready?

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him…. fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognise what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it… in this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvellously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t. If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. Love from the centre of who you are; don’t fake it…. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fuelled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality…. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone….Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Taken from Romans 12.

Powerful. Love it. Now to live it.

This week, my Mom and Dion accidentally popped into the Cadillac Bar on Highway 33, we did laugh that the first night in Kelowna as Mom found herself in an exotic strip bar. But really, it’s no surprise to those that know her. Mom knows who God has called her to be, she has readily recognised what God wants from her finding herself facing God given opportunities every step of the way as she places it all before God as an offering knowing the only reason she is this place is because she has fixed her attention on God and been changed from the inside out.

My prayer is that you find your God given place – designed for you.

And never let it go.

Be blessed,

Michelle xoxo