Showing the World You are Fully Committed

Solomon stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice:

 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promises, which He spoke through His servant Moses.  The Lord our God be with us, as He was with our ancestors; may He not leave us or abandon us, but incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, His ordinances, which He commanded our ancestors.  Let these words of mine, with which I pleaded before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, and may He maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires; so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.  Therefore, devote yourselves completely to the Lord our God, walking in His statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.” 1 Kings 8:56-61 (NRSV)

The Temple is finished! After waiting for 500 years and actual construction of 7 long years, the Temple is finished. What a grand and glorious place that Temple was! God has a permanent home! The Ark of the Covenant has a home! King Solomon invites everyone, Jews and Non- Jews, to a dedication, an “Open House.” Solomon committed himself and all the people to God! He tells us to fully obey the Lord our God and follow all His laws and commands, not just now but in all times! All the people of the World will know that God is THE LORD GOD!

How do we show the world today that we are fully committed to God? That is not an easy question.

When I hear or read these words, my mind automatically starts singing,” Standing on the Promises”. I love to sing, but I am not a singer.

I have been a member of Wesley chapel for a little over two years, and Wesley Chapel is my Home! My husband and I came as refugees as a result of the disaffiliation process. I am honored beyond words to serve Wesley Chapel as the Lay Representative to the Annual Conference! We attend the 8:30 am Service and the Open Hearts Sunday School Class. We live in Harrison County. I grew up in the same Church that Pastor Tony grew up in, Corydon United Methodist Church. Yes, I remember Tony as a young child.

How do I show the world that I am fully committed to God? You will not find me shouting from the rooftop, I can guarantee that. That is not me. That may be you, and if it is, I appreciate you. I will encourage, support, and provide everything you need. 

I trust God. Several years ago, after years of balance issues and falling and stumbling, and many bouts of severe vertigo, I was diagnosed with a fluid imbalance in one of my ears. No cure, just medication and diet to lessen some of the symptoms. And there was a brain surgery to clip the balance nerve. It was good, until my other ear became affected. It would have been very easy to be angry at the world and at God. But I was not. My boss listened as I described my condition and modified my work duties to fit my abilities. It was rough on my family as I just could not participate in life as fully as I desired. Each time I have an attack, when I am so dizzy I cannot close my eyes nor can I even keep my eyes open, I know to focus on God. My mind has learned to sing songs! I am able to praise God at the same time I am violently ill. I have learned to sing songs to the rhythm of the tinnitus that I constantly hear. I trust God will see me through. 

I have learned to love all people and accept them as they are. I love to encourage other people to become fully who they are. God made me to be me and you to be you. None of us will ever, ever look into the eyes of someone that God does not love. We are all God’s children. A minister once told me that If I do something that hurts another human, then it is not in God’s will.

I have made sacrifices. My life is nowhere near what I had planned. I mean, I was going to marry Elvis Presley! My ear condition took a lot of my physical ability away, and we had a major car wreck a couple of years after my brain surgery. I broke my femur into so many pieces it could not be counted. Learning to walk as a middle-aged adult with a defective balance system is not easy. You will still see me making some “funky moves” to accommodate my balance system. During the physical therapy stage, I learned to say a short one simple sentence prayer with each step. I still say that prayer today when I walk any distance.

The day my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, I could have been extremely angry. It is not fair. That should be me, not my daughter. But my daughter taught me again to be patient, and to be patient with God. There is a lesson here and we just have to get to it. I learned to spend my time in the hospital with her by reading, studying scripture, and praying. I prayed not just for my daughter, but for each of you, for Wesley Chapel, for the staff, for the servants, my mind sang many songs. She is now celebrating one year of being cancer free.

As I said earlier, you will never find me shouting my commitment to God from the rooftop, but you will find me handing out free popcorn at O’Bannon Woods or handing out Free Holiday Food baskets at Harrison County Community Services and participating in several food drives. I have helped pay utility bills. You will find me encouraging “the Last, the Lost, the Least”. You will see me hugging people that need a hug or encouragement. You will see me taking my grocery cart to the cart return. You will occasionally find me leading a class discussion or Bible Study. You will hear me saying, “Excuse me” and “Thank You!” My mind sings many songs to remind me that God is THE LORD GOD, above all.

Just as Solomon claimed God’s promises, so must we. Not only today, but for all time!