Another left-over from my sister-in-law’s visit is her copy of Rev. Magazine. The editor, Paul Allen, wrote as he ends his Rev. to Rev. column, "God’s using our lives, not just our words, to touch the hearts of others. As you move forward in 2005, don’t live life alone."  That touched me. Sometimes when I think about my life, I say to myself "Gee, God…I’ve had too many valleys too count and I am tired." But in reading his column, I am reminded that it has been how I have dealt with my valley’s that has impacted the people around me.

I remember at one of our women’s conferences in NY, a woman gave me a card where she had written that because of how I handled my tragedy with my 2nd son (who at that time was having one of his 27 operations), she knew that the strength God had given me, He could give to her and it made her able to face her life…because as she says, "the God you serve is the same God I do and if he can do it for you He can do it for me too!"

Sometimes, we don’t care or even think about how our life speaks to others. We get consumed with our problems and just want "out". But you know what they say about hindsight…as I review the chapters of what so far sums up my life, I have to say that while I wish some things would not have happened, I am still standing. And that is what counts. I have a pair of mini boxing gloves by my computer that my sister-in-law (Pastor Enid) gave me at our commissioning service. She reminded us that in this boxing ring, we will have battles but we will always be the winners. Now, of course, sometimes our definition of winning has to be re-adjusted. Still standing blow after blow, is my definition. If I can survive what I have, I KNOW that I KNOW that I KNOW I can survive anything. The future may still hold some pain for me but with God, I will survive. And in that, my life speaks.