One morning, the wind howled as the alarm sounded on my old clock. Just then, the power went off. A tree branch had blown onto a power line. The whole neighborhood was left in the dark. I had planned to rise early to assist a student online with her English, but that was now off the menu.
I do have a gas stove for cooking. My father, who was also born in this district, always guided his family to keep a torch handy. I did not give up. I sat by torchlight and drafted an entire essay with good old-fashioned pen and paper. I read my Bible, then attended an online worship service on my phone, which still functioned. I had to trust the process and know that the power would be restored. I focused on keeping safe and positive by torchlight.
I heard and read this verse by Paul: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. It is good if all followers of our Lord Jesus persevere through challenges. We might face some difficult processes, but we must believe God can do great works through us.
God is guiding us to continue manifesting love, peace, kindness, and prayers. We will harvest the great rewards from never giving up or being quitters. Trusting that God’s plans will always come first means having faith in the dark and the light. We work through our hope in Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
One day, we will all understand God’s process. Keep going.
Julie Grenness is a former teacher and catechist who is now a writer of many online articles, mainly for baby boomers. She is also a caregiver for a geriatric and a part-time tutor and mentor of young Australians from many lands. She aims to be a woman of God and to walk humbly in the path of Jesus.