My Granddaughter and I had a conversation on the phone the other day. She is a student at Western Washington University and is a smart, pretty and up to date girl. We talked for a while about things you wouldn’t be interested in.

Then she said, “I’ll be coming home soon for Spring Break, so I’ll see you then.”

I, her old fashioned Grandma, was very happy to hear that! I had been hearing for several years about University kids going to the beach and doing such crazy and wrong things they would be sorry about later. And here my granddaughter was coming home!

I told her what Spring Break was in my day. “It was called Easter Vacation and Winter Vacation was Christmas Vacation. And it wasn’t just me, but everyone  from teachers, to the President of the United States called it that. I have a hard time thinking it any other way.”

Of course I knew those were Christian words but at that time Christianity was the only religion people talked about. There wasn’t much else. It was just one more thing to get used to.

At the end of our conversation, she said, “I’ll see you on Easter Vacation, Grandma.”

That meant the world to me. I guess I can put up with all the other changes that seems to make the world go around way too fast. After all, there is nothing I can do about it. Is there?

It’s an awful feeling when you remember you have walked away from God. But when you realize God has never walked away from you, it becomes a feeling of remorse and joy all at the same time.

As some of you know, I led the worship services at a campground for 21 years. In fact, the other campers called me “Preacher Lady”. Toward the end of my ministry there, I was elected to the Board of Directors. I was happy that I had been elected! Soon I became the Chairman of the board. Oh Boy! Was I ever a big shot then. I kept on with my ministry, but I thought somehow that the board was a bigger job. I had walked away from God even though I didn’t think I had.

My husband and I had been thinking about selling our campsite and finding someone to take my place in the ministry and soon that happened, so we were free to sell our campsite. Also, we needed a vacation. People had asked me to come to their church and sing sometime and so we decided now is the time! I made arrangements with several churches that I would come and put on a sort of concert for them. They agreed so it was settled. Our children would take care of Mom and we bought an old, tiny motor home that a woman wanted to get out of her yard. I don’t remember what we paid for it , but it wasn’t much, and off we went.

We were driving along in Montana one rainy night and all the lights went off and the  motor home stopped. What do we do now? A town was coming up,  but we didn’t know how far. A big truck stopped right beside us. A man driving it offered to take us into town. He was so nice. He hooked the motor home onto the back of the truck and pulled us into a big parking lot. “I work here at this John Deer place so you can stay here under the street light for the night,” he said. We thanked the man and he drove off.

We were so hungry and our gas stove still worked so we made our supper and went to bed. In the morning the man came back and said. “I made arrangements with a guy at a garage who will fix you up. I’ll take you there.” He hooked us up again and off we went to that garage. Again, we thanked him and offered money but he just drove off. The mechanic fixed our motor home. There wasn’t much wrong with it.

But there was plenty wrong with me. I said to my husband. “God was taking care of us and I hadn’t even thought about Him lately.” I felt terrible.

“Nope, there’s no doubt about it. God was handling things,” my husband agreed.

“Yes but I have been doing my own thing, and I have left God behind. That will never happen again! It hasn’t, and we had a wonderful time at those six churches, and we came   home with no more trouble with our tiny and old motor home.

Have you ever walked away from God? Is now the time to say, “it will never happen again”? Then ask for forgiveness and go on hand in hand with God?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1