Choices

Written by Mary Moore

We all have choices to make in life daily. What we do…how we spend money…choosing priorities…whether we’re a giver or a taker in life. Some choices (sad to say) are made without prayer.

My mother’s choice is to be used by God. She is a good example of a giver. My grandmother died when Mother was 6-years-old. Mother lived with her grandparents; therefore she did not have much, but there was always plenty of love for everyone. Training in the Bible was done daily by her grandfather. That training and the desire to live for God has carried through her life.

Mother is now 94-years-old. She can only see out of one eye with the use of contacts and glasses. When she reads her Bible, she also uses a magnifying glass. Her eyesight is growing dim slowly. Arthritis has taken a toll on her body especially her fingers. She has to walk with a walker. But she does not give up or complain. She is on a fixed Social Security income. Her motto has always been, “If I can help somebody along life’s road, then my life shall not be in vain.” That still holds true for her today. The question remains, “How could God use a 94-year-old willing vessel?”

My church is helping build an orphanage in Honduras. Mother prayed and decided to make lap quilts for all 50 beds in the orphanage. (The lap quilts are big enough to be used as a bedspread on a twin bed). She started to work on this project in March. By September, she had given me 54 lap quilts and stuffed animals for each bed to be sent to Honduras.

Often she would start working on them at 6:30 in the morning and work until 9:00 that night. Her daily routine consisted of reading her Bible, praying, and sewing for a period of time, then back to reading her Bible, praying, and sewing again. All day long she would follow that routine until bedtime. She worked on this project six days a week. Of course, on Sunday, she observed the Sabbath with rest.

After making those lap quilts, her heart’s desire was to continue to give and help wherever the Lord could use her. So, she continued to make lap quilts. In November she sent 15 lap quilts to a mission project in Guatemala.

Her next sewing project was tote bags. She made 54 bags which she filled with crayons and coloring books. They were sent with a mission team traveling to Nicaragua in February and were given to children who had very little but whom were eager to feel love.

Her prayer was that God would not only let the children feel the warmth from the lap quilt but also feel the warmth of His love. Each lap quilt, animal, tote bag, crayon and coloring book was prayed over. She prayed that each item would make an impact on someone’s life that would lead them to the Lord as their personal Savior.

For all of her life, Mother has been an example of a Christian with a giving heart. She learned the true meaning of Acts 20:35b, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  Even at 94-years-old she still lives by her motto and is a willing vessel. Her goal in life is NOT to see how much she could accumulate, where she could travel, etc.; rather Mother uses her money and talents to lay up treasures in Heaven.

It is amazing how at 94 she still allows God to use her in His Kingdom. How many lives has her life touched in the United States and also on the mission field for the Lord with that attitude?

If you talk to her today, she would tell you about how good God has been to her…how He has supplied her needs according to Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

So no matter what the circumstances, your age or how much money you have, God is just seeking a willing vessel. Are you willing to allow Him to use you?