My Heart's Desire

I'm getting ready to spend the last day of this never-ending January at a conference. It's 4 a.m. and Dan and I will be headed out in a couple of hours to drive the hour and a half to get there. To be honest, I don't really feel like going since it's 8 degrees out and I also have a long list of things I could be doing. But the main reason I'm attending is we have a couple of younger people from our church going and I want to encourage them, especially the young woman who is attending. 

I turned 64 last weekend and there is part of me that feels as if my time is over, but then I remember I still have much to offer. I'm finding that as I age that the opportunities in my life are less about me and more about coming alongside the next generation and helping them lead and grow. 

I head up a writing team for our national women's group and what I've been doing is seeking out younger women who normally may not have an opportunity to write for a larger audience. I want to give them a platform to share what's on their heart. I've also wanted to expand it to women from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This year's team includes a woman from Africa and another from Ecuador. It also includes two of our international workers who are serving in very hard parts of the world. I'm thankful that the Lord has allowed my connections to be used in this way. 

My desire has always been to encourage young women and help them to grow both in their own personal walk with the Lord and in their leadership skills. It's been my heart cry to be an encouragement to those around me and I'm thankful that I have these opportunities to do that.

While part of me wants to hunker down in my warm and cozy house, I know that I won't regret going to this conference today. It's an opportunity to fellowship with those from my own church, but to also see friends from around our district.