Hi y’all! I reached out to my sweet mother this week, and asked her to write a guest blog for my blog. She always does me proud! Here’s a piece of my momma’s heart that the Lord wanted her to share!
Blogging, Sharing, and Letting Go…..
At the ripe old age of 62, I am blogging for the first time for my 18 year old daughter who is on The World Race in Ukraine this month ministering through teaching English to college students, painting a mural on a coffee shop wall, and hoping to get to hold precious babies that are orphaned in Ukraine. My very first blog, ever, is also her first guest blog, and I want to thank her for the opportunity and for believing in me and my ability. Just yesterday I shared with a client that I have known for over ten years, Barry Wilson of Mid-South Machine in Cookeville, TN, how God was using Cheree in the mission field in Ukraine through the Gap Year program with The World Race organization. During launch, if someone had told me that I would be sharing Cheree’s gap year with joy, I would never have believed them. As much as I have travelled with my job and left Cheree with her Pa, Gran, and Granny Dean, I am ashamed to say that I did not want her to go on The World Race. I prayed and prayed asking God to let us pass on this opportunity. I should have added to my prayer, “not my will but Thine be done.” I have been asked to share my child around the world with others for God’s purpose, and again, after all I have been given by the Father who gave His child’s life for mine, I did not want to share in return. All of my unwillingness was based on fear. Fear that I would not see Cheree safely home again. I wonder if Cheree had those fears all these years as I have travelled. I wonder how God felt the three days Jesus spent in the grave. As Cheree left from Atlanta headed to Romania in September before travelling on to Ukraine, she gave me a stone that she had etched with Faith, No Fear. I told her that I had fear and not enough faith, and she said, “I know. Have faith, and there will be no fear.” I have prayed and prayed for faith and prayed for her safety as well as many blessings and life lessons for her on this journey. God has given her many blessings already, and I thank Him for those answered prayers. God brought her home safely for her brother’s wedding and got her safely back with Gap L and Team Now, and I thank Him for those answered prayers. What really surprises me, though, is that I am truly thankful for the unanswered prayers asking for this opportunity to pass. Now I pray, “Our Father in heaven, how precious is Your Name! Thank you for not letting me stand in the way of Your kingdom coming the way you have it planned. Thank you for the blessings of food, shelter, clothing and safety. Please help me to give and share as You have so graciously given and shared with me. You are a good good Father!”
Carol McConnell
October 25, 2017
Ps. Here’s a fun fact about my mother. Often times, when women aren’t comfortable with their age, they will tell people they are ten years younger than they actually are. MY MOTHER, tells people she is ten years OLDER, then she gets compliments on how good she looks for her age. Y’all, my momma is 52, not 62 like she said!
