Faithful Friday: Answering God’s Call

Faithful Friday: Answering God’s Call

by Debbie

Since Graduation, I have struggled to find the best way to use my gifts and talents for the Lord. Having cerebral palsy (CP) makes things twice as difficult- relying on others to get me up in the morning and dressed. In addition, using voice recognition and typing sentences word by word can be exhausting. Despite all this, God granted me the opportunity to work in Michigan’s Section 508 Department, working from home and writing articles educating people on how to make their websites more accessible to federal employees and the public.

I’ll be honest losing that job because of budget cuts was devastating for me. That job gave me a sense of purpose and allowed me to connect one-on-one with people outside my apartment. Moving to Virginia, I have done my best to keep writing with this blog and the other opportunities that come my way; it’s still a struggle knowing where my writing fits in and when God will answer my prayer of publishing my novel. (Yes, I realize I must finish it before doing anything else.) In the interim, I am sharing my experiences with others in the disabled community.

Still, I question where this road is going to take me. I wonder if I will ever get an agent and whether my novel will be traditionally published. Of course, these are all valid questions that only Jesus has the answers to; but those answers aren’t always immediate. Having said this, I would like to share a video clip a friend of mine recently emailed me. It features the unique story of Mary Jane Ponten-one of the first missionaries with a disability. Having CP, Mary never felt like she was different; things changed drastically when she entered public school. People picked on her for the way she walked and talked. Despite all this, she felt called to be a missionary to others in similar situations. So she went off to Bible college. I will let her pick up the story from there because her interview with Joni And Friends tells it way better than I ever could

Mary Jane is not the first person God had delayed plans for. Off the top of my head, I can think of many people in the Bible that had to trust God’s timing. People like:

1. Joseph- he was sold into captivity by his brothers, put into jail under false charges by the Potipher wife, and then was promoted after revealing what his dreams meant. After all that, they reunited him with his family.
2. Sara and Abraham- God told Joseph he would have a son. But, after years of waiting, Abraham began doubting and took Sara’s slave to have a baby on his own. Of course, we all know how that turned out. Finally, Sara had a baby at 90, and they named him Isaac.
3. Abraham and Isaac. After finally having his very own son, God asked him to take his son (“whom you love”) and sacrifice him as an offering. Abraham went up the mount with his son and prepared to offer him. Just as he did, Jesus cried out and stopped him, providing a ram as a substitute.
4. Esther. Who could forget the story of Esther? A Jew becomes queen, requesting the King save her people from getting killed.

Just to name a few..