Musings from the Ozone

 Recently we had a huge storm that hit a Long Island community.   Although  storms do not usually  impress me for any length of time, the vivid pictures of  many huge trees blown over on their sides by the hurricane strength winds, trees uprooted with dangling roots full of dirt, made a indelible impression on my mind.   Generally, trees do not grow as huge on the island  as do the trees I remember in the Midwestern states, simply  because the soil here  is of a sandy type.  The trees, however,  do grow tall enough and wide enough that should they be blown over, they can  crush a house or car.

The image I held of one fallen tree, loosened from the ground where it had grown, for possibly more than 50 years, caused me to ponder the decision my husband and I made to leave Long Island and move back to the Midwestern area of our youth.

  The tree which nature had blown over on it's side, had provided shade and beauty for its' environment; it had been useful many years, deeply rooted to the soil under its surface.  The future of that fallen tree, once it was loosened and removed from its  location, would have just a few choices left of being useful to mankind.  Should it  be used for furniture, or in building material, it might exist in another beneficial form for many years to come.  If it should land in someone's fireplace, it will be appreciated for just a very short time!

 Using the tree for an analogy, we ask: "How does a person shake off the roots that have been put  down in their lifetime for a period of nearly 27 years?  How deep were those roots actually placed?  How many problems will arise from the sheer job of moving from one location to another?"  Which should come first, the emotions about moving away from this home, or the practicality of remaining in an environment where one's usefulness has served it's purpose?  Is our usefulness here finished?  How much of the decision is based on ending of our work-environment, and regaining a family environment?  How much has one's financial situation inserted itself into the question?

 My husband and I have been blessed to have had sufficient time to mull over the facts above, as well as time to plan for the many of the emotional worries involved with moving.   As  Christians, our first point of pondering this move, has been to turn to the Lord Jesus for direction.  Some people scoff at seeking answers from the Lord, but let them scoff.  We have had evidence in our lives that God has directed and guided our steps from the beginning of our lives!  It was a miracle that we were given the opportunity to come to serve in New York in the first place.  We were at a crossroads then; just coming home from the mission field , we had several crisis' hit our family all at once.  One day in prayer, I felt that God told us to "stand still."  We did that.  My father had died, and the congregation of the church where he had been pastor for 26 years, begged us to stay and pastor them.  It was not what we felt was the 'will of God' for our life, but we obeyed God and just 'stood still.'  When the offer came to us 2 years later to serve in New York as the coordinator of the newly formed New York Metro district, we felt that God had opened the door for us to be missionaries to the 'world!'  We immediately felt such a burden and a love for NYC that it must have been from God, since we knew practically nothing  about the city, other than having  experience in South America as missionaries.  The first avenue of work opened to us was working with the Spanish cultures in NYC!  It was thrilling to extend in Spanish our knowledge of the Lord to the peoples from every country in South America and Central America!  Spain was also included! 

 As the years went on in New York, and we took over a church in Queens, my husband was voted in as the district superintendent.  This position was a huge undertaking and for 12 years, as we had to establish the ladies division, the youth division, the Sunday School division, just to name a few things we started.  Weekly for nearly a year, my husband went to the Bronx to have a seminar for ministers.   The district grew greatly and today they even own their own beautiful campground.  My husband and I filled other positions in the district work, and we never hesitated to take on responsibilities.  The church we pastored  in Queens  grew into a self supporting church.  When we first started there, we had to have dinners and fund-raising events just to meet the mortgage.  Today the church supports its' pastor and is debt-free.

 So, with so much excitement in our years of serving in New York, how can one just retire?  We never expected that the day would just creep up on us like it did!   My husband began to have many health problems and after 3 back operations, he just realized that he could not continue to pastor with the limitations his health placed on him.   After we resigned from the church, God provided the church with a wonderful pastor.  He had been our assistant pastor for many years, and my husband had been able to work with him and groom him for the position.  He is truly a blessing to us.  He wished for us to stay on for a transition period.  My husband was considered the bishop, but the church was truly turned over to the new pastor.  During the transition period, the reality of 'retirement' began to sink in.  We decided to put this 'ole' house in order, and put it up for sale.  That took time, energy and money.  During the time of renovation, it was a perfect time to get our emotional house in order.  We have a lot of family in the Midwest, and they helped us feel welcome to 'get back home---to our original roots.'  

 My answer to all the questions we were faced with over being uprooted from a work of 27 years, is this: We are not trees!  We are children of God.  We may get uprooted from time to time, but as His children, we are just ' transplanted.'  When a door gets shut behind us, God does not leave us out in the cold--he will open another door.   We have had to leave other congregations in the past and we cried lots of tears.  We must never get too deeply rooted in this world or in an environment to resist the leading of the Lord!  Even in 'retirement,'  there is work to be done for God!