Traveling Daze

This is what I prayed for.

• Seven years ago, about this time of the year, I was praying. I was praying that the Lord would give my family the chance to relocate so that we might be able to be nearer our aging parents.
• Seven years ago, about this time of the year, Dianna was flying back and forth to Kentucky about every month or so to help care for her father who was battling terminal cancer.
• Six years ago, within a couple months of this time of the year, I received the first phone call from Paul Goodman, who was calling on behalf of New Work Fellowship.

Fast forward.

Today, as you read this, I'm in Texas. I'm with my parents. This is what I prayed for.

I remember praying that the Lord would help me/us fulfill the spirit of the command from scripture:

"Honor your father and mother." This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, "things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth."

(Ephesians 6:2-4)

I've always believed that if I hope to know God's will for my life, it is important to start with God's written word. It was so agonizing in that season of being so far removed from family, that we were not able to care for Dianna's father, as we would have liked. We looked at our aging parents and realized, "we are going to go through this another three times". That's when the praying started.

"God we want to honor our parents. We want to care for them. We want to do right by them. If you would, please, open a door by which we might minister in a place where we could be close enough to honor them in those toughest hours of need."

That was our prayer.

God heard us. He moved us. I was here when Mom suffered a terrible heart attack.

This week I am honoring my parents. I've taken them on vacation to visit with their best friends whom they have not seen in four years. It just so happens that their best friends were the most formative and influential pastor and wife, that I had growing up.

This week I'm honoring my parents. Who are you honoring? Are you listening/obeying God's written word, so you might hear His personal will for you?