December 5, 2009

Greetings My Friend,

My heart is thinking about this blog. In recent months, I’ve been asked by my very good friend, “who is your audience, what is your goal” in writing. Some other friends are concerned for me. I thought I would put down what I want to accomplish.

I have wanted to write letters have a conversation with women. Overall, I feel that I am doing what I felt I was led to do. For some years now, I believe God has been teaching me how to write, how to not be so prideful. I wanted a lot of recognition for a very long time. I felt inferior in many ways and was looking to “arrive.” As my writing grew stronger, I found that I did not need to be “special” anymore.

Junior loved my letters to him. He encouraged me to write. God sent my friend J to teach me. We got together for a year or two and I grew under her leadership. Next He sent S and I helped to write a newsletter for our Sunday school class.

As I was preparing to retire, I felt led to write letters to women in my life. My Scripture I have for this as I try to write is Titus 2:3-4 “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” I also use Ephesians 5:21 “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” And Ephesians 5:33 “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

In generations past multiple generations lived with each other. They helped each other with everyday life. Women had older women to guide them in child rearing, help with the child rearing. The older women helped the younger women understand what was going on in their bodies etc. For the past several generations, that has not happened. Our society became very mobile and parents raised their children on their own. Older people also began to go their own way.

My goal is to name things, feelings, etc and to offer my “older” woman’s advice. Sometimes I find that I struggle too. Many of the “feelings” I talk about, are feelings I have dealt with in my lifetime, not necessarily right now. It is my prayer, that by naming these feelings I may help someone on their life’s journey. I also want people to meet Jesus. Jesus has been such a great healer in my life and I want to share Him with others.

God has taught me to look at myself, to tell what I find in my journey through life. This can be mistaken and thought of as “it is about Janet.” In one way it is…..in another it is about trying to introduce Jesus’ love. My goal, my dream is that I make walking with Jesus a “real” day to day walk and in that He becomes real and someone to trust.

May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.

Love

Janet