My Last Lecture

The sermon in church yesterday was based on Ecclesiastes. The homework: Blog about this question (& since I just happened to start blogging recently, hot dog!):

"If you had to give a "last lecture", what would you tell people is the most important thing in life?"

I've really been thinking about this a lot, and this is what I've come up with (aside from accepting Jesus, of course!):

Do the Right Thing. I'm taking this from my hubby. It's pretty basic, but it makes so much sense & it's easy to remember. Sometimes, we all get caught up in the rules & regulations...we can't possibly remember all the fine print! When in doubt, take a step back & ask yourself, "Is this right in the eyes of my Father?"

Ok, that was the easy part. The next part is where it gets tricky!

Embrace Who God Has Called You To Be. I think all of us at one point or another get caught up in pleasing ourselves, pleasing others, wanting to look right, feel important...we try so hard to justify to ourselves & others why we exist. I have mentioned this before; I struggled for YEARS against who God has called me to be. I felt inferior JUST being a mom, no college degree, blah, blah, blah...........

Guess what? God has called me to be a mother. Yes, there are lots of mothers out there, but He has called me to go beyond being a mommy. He has given me a Mother's Heart for orphans, and I have realized that this is where I feel fulfilled. I am not fulfilled by this world's ideas of fulfillment b/c those ideas generally have nothing to do with Him.

Do I look normal with 6 children in tow? Nope.

Is it glamorous? Nope.

Is it easy? Nope.

Do I make a lot of money? Big nope.

Do people look at me like I have a third eye when I say we hope to adopt again? Yep.

But.........

IT'S BEAUTIFUL, IT'S EXCITING, IT'S CRAZY, IT'S WONDERFUL...IT'S ME!!!

God made me this way. It's what He wants me to do. And when I'm obedient to His call, He shows himself over and over and over again. How awesome is it to see God working in your life, sustaining you, providing for your needs, tugging on your heart.

But it doesn't just end with "the call". That's just the beginning! When you see the awesome workings of God, then you get to SHARE IT!! Part of embracing is being willing to then share what He is doing...Give Him the glory! The same pastor that gave the sermon yesterday said this a couple of years ago, "Our own testimonies are perfect conversation-makers to who God is". People don't want to be hit over the head with a book...They want real, relatable stuff.

And as brothers & sisters in Christ, I think it's vital that we encourage each other. We are not all called to the same thing, but we are all called to something. Your "call" may make no sense to me, but it makes perfect sense to God, so just as I hope for people to encourage me even if they don't understand, I need to be ready to do the same.

I had the opportunity last year to speak with a class of aspiring teachers. I loved their energy & enthusiasm. When asked if I had any final thoughts for them, I said something like this, "What you do in life should be your calling, not your job. If you're pursuing your calling, just doing what is expected will not be enough. If people tell you that you're crazy, you care too much or something like that, be encouraged. If we are truly called to something, the "norm" just won't do. If it doesn't make sense, if it is scary & you're afraid to fail, if you are completely dependent on God, I'd say you're on the right track."

So, guess what, guys? I AM A MOTHER!!! Isn't that cool? Thanks, God!

Be Blessed ~ Dardi

***Edited to Add: Sorry, I don't know why all the paragraphs are running together. I've tried to fix it, but it's making me crazy, so it will stay as is!