I truly hate goodbyes.
It must have to do with the fact that my entire family lives overseas, and saying good bye when we visit means at least another year without seeing each other.
But truth is, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 1:1.
A couple of months ago, our dear Bethany McIlrath communicated that, due to some wonderful new opportunities that are coming her way, starting in January, she will not be able to continue contributing to Recharge Wednesday.
I am thrilled for her and at the same time sad to see her go.
My many thanks to this dear friend, for many years of beautiful contributions to Recharge Wednesday, and my prayers for much success and blessings in her career as a writer.
Enjoy her last devotional for Recharge Wednesday!
Patricia
PS: If you are interested in becoming one of the Recharge Wednesday contributors, please send me an email with your name and your website. I am prayerfully considering submissions! Email: pholbrook@soaringwithHIm.com
All through the instrumental introduction, I was praying. We’d had a busy day – a busy week, a busy month – and many people were on my heart. Their needs and their joys played through my mind as the musicians on stage wordlessly proclaimed Christ’s glory.
Then it was our turn to join in.
As we stood to sing in the pew and the lights rose over the choir belting out a medley of carols, I searched the rows for any familiar face. But my mind was full of faces, and it occurred to me: all of us who know Christ have signed up to be part of the eternal Christmas Choir.
Someday, I’m going to stand next to my dear mentor and we’ll sing together about the worthiness of our Savior.
Someday, my struggling friend and I will lift our voices in praise to the Lord who has made all things right.
Someday, I hope, our neighbors and the kids in Sunday School and the people whose salvation I pray for regularly will be there with me magnifying the God who I see working now to draw them to Himself.
Someday, you and I will meet in a world without end and will harmonize “holy, holy, holy” before the throne of God!
On that day, we won’t be self-conscious about our voices. We won’t fuss about who we’re directly beside and who we’re not. We won’t worry about falling out of sync or missing a line or if we’ve got our part in the harmony right.
We’ll be in perfect unity, and there will be no “resounding gongs or clanging cymbals” because we’ll be singing love having been made perfect by Love Himself (1 Corinthians 13:1).
I can’t wait.
This Christmas…
>> I’m grateful Jesus came and made a way for us to praise Him right in the presence of God.
>> I’m grateful Jesus is with us – all of us in the body of Christ- enabling us to praise God together despite our failings and fallout.
>>And I’m grateful that Jesus is coming again, and we’ll praise Him perfectly, in harmony, then. If we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we already signed up for the choir!
And to all of you who I’ve had the joy and privilege of interacting with at #RechargeWednesday, I can’t wait to sing with you on that day! I’m stepping back from hosting the linkup once a month as God is calling me to serve more in other ministries, so I’ll miss praising Him together with you as regularly here. But I’ll still be around, and be thanking Him for you!
LINKUP PARTY opens on December 21 at 6 am!
Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:
1. Add your Link.
2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.
3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page
I love this image of us all singing together in a choir, praising God. That will be amazing! I’m thankful for you, Bethany!
Maybe some of us will praise Him with instruments too?! Thankful for you too, Lesley! Merry Christmas!
What a day that will be!
May God bless you in your future endeavors, Bethany! Have a blessed Christmas!
A glorious day to look forward to! Thanks so much, Joanne! Merry Christmas to you too!
Simply beautiful, Bethany! Yes, someday…what a day that eternal choir will be! We’ll miss you as a contributor for Recharge Wednesdays. Merry Christmas!
What a day that will be indeed! Merry Christmas, Karen! I’ll miss it too, but will be glad to keep reading your posts and participating whenever I can!
Bethany, I loved that picture of us all singing together. A dear friend I lost to cancer used to say we’d be in the heavenly choir. With my singing voice that was a real stretch of faith. Many blessings on your endeavors. Look forward to connecting other ways.
I think your friend was right – and I’m counting on a perfected singing voice that day too haha! And thank you, I’m looking forward to connecting with you in other ways too. Merry Christmas!
What a beautiful thought, Bethany … all of us singing in that heavenly choir together. I’m so looking forward to it. Praying that God will continue to use your many gifts wherever He leads you next.
I’m so looking forward to it too, Lois! Thank you so much, dear friend. Merry Christmas!