According to His Purpose

When it came time for me (Nikki) to choose our SALT challenge, I had to go with this verse, which has provided a refrain throughout my life: "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

From the time I was a child, my family moved frequently... typically every 3 years or so, but sometimes even more often. I'm now almost 35, and still the longest I've ever lived in one place continuously was just under 4 years (and that was in the '80s!). My family moved because my dad's business demanded it, whether for promotions or tranfers or company changes. And this is the verse I so clearly remember hearing from my parents over and over again through those years, as they tried faithfully to make the best possible choices and moves for our family.

After all those years, when my husband joined the U.S. Navy as a chaplain, this is the verse that immediately came to mind... and now, as a military spouse of 9+ years, I'm still holding it close to my heart. Next week we'll be making another move, and it is going to be a difficult adjustment, leaving a church and a community we love, and dear friends who have become family to us. So once again this promise is one I need to hear, over and over, as I always have. Had it not been for the "all things" that led us here, we would not have received the many gifts of grace that have been given to us in this place.

We all have those "all things"... whether moving, money, health, relationships, or any other challenge. It's not always easy (or possible at all!) to see how they will "work together for good." And we may never see the "good" that God works in the lives of others through the "things" we are facing. But by our faithful listening to God's call, and by our faithful commitment to His purpose, we can be assured that He will work His goodness in our world.

Because of our upcoming move and the several months of transition ahead of us, this will be my last SALT challenge as a member of the SALT team. I look forward to watching how the blog continues to share creative expressions of faith, and to how all who participate here continue to bless others through creative expressions of God's love! Grace and peace to you all.

Nikki

Pauline

Kim

Tanis

Ruth


Lythan

Julie

Hazel



Stacy



Melita