By Arlene Manson
Last fall, I finally got a permanent job after six years of term positions. The goal I was working for – a permanent job – had been achieved. And this past spring, I turned 50. At this point, my life has kind of settled. So, what or where do I want to go next?
This period of life has put me in a reflective mood. Lately, I have been reading books on spiritual disciplines and the like. I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I know that I want to continue to serve the Lord. I am just not sure where that is leading me to this point.
The one thing I know for sure is that I want to remain faithful until the end. Lately, faithfulness has been a recurring theme in my life. The theme for the centennial celebration at the Regina Church of Christ was about God’s faithfulness. Our summer sermon series was on the fruit of the Spirit, of which one is faithfulness. We have had a couple of deaths in Saskatoon that make you reflect on faithfulness.
This makes me think of people in my life who have remained faithful to the end. I think of Grandma Brown and her influence on my family and my life – how she changed the course of both. She remained faithful until the end. I think of my mother, Mary, and the struggles she had with mental illness – how those have impacted and blessed my life. She remained faithful until the end. I think of Mabel McDougald and her amazing love and hospitality: her unconditional love for my mom. She was truly mom’s sister of the heart. She too remained faithful until the end.
I think of the song, “To Love Someone More Dearly,” which I remember as being Grandma’s song…
And then my Savior by and by to meet
When faith hath made her task on earth complete,
And lay my homage at the Master’s feet,
Within the jasper walls, Within the jasper walls,
This crowns my task.
All of these women have had a huge impact on my life and make me want to grow up to fulfil Paul’s words in II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.
Very