GIFTS FROM GOD!

Billy Graham said in his book “Nearing home”: “What then is the key to a successful retirement?  See your retirement as a gift from God.  Once you understand this, you will approach retirement differently.”

This is so true!  After I retired in December, I asked myself: “What am I going to do now to keep myself busy?”  I want to do things.  The more I think about the last part of my life, the more I realize that it is a gift from God, just as the first part of my life. I praise God for all the gifts that He is giving me!

GIFT 1: Heart-stretching-exercise:  On the 21st of June, our 7th grandchild was born and we experience how a grandparent’s heart can stretch to love all the grandchildren that the Lord gives you!  She grows beautifully and her parents are natural parents. Our daughter-in-law said that she is so much in love with this little baby and she realizes now why I wanted to become mom 5 times! Our 5 children, the 3 children that our children married and our 7 grandchildren are gifts from the Lord and we praise and thank Him for each one and also the ones that will still be added on to our family D.V.!!

GIFT 2: Brain-stretching-exercise:  We still get opportunities to use our brains and this is a gift from God.  We are still involved in teaching.  We taught at the CEF Institute in South Africa in January, we helped our oldest daughter  to teach at the Super Seminars  in April and May and we help with Bible Studies.  My husband  gets many opportunities to preach in Retirement villages and from time to time he has memorial services. 

Gift 3: Hospitality-exercises:  We have received guests from overseas from January and it is a privilege to take them to different places in our area and enjoy and appreciate our country.   We enjoy having visitors from overseas but also from our own country and town and praise the Lord for the gift of friendship and hospitality!

Gift 4: Road trip-exercise:  I went on a road trip with our youngest daughter.  We visited different  Bavaria in the region that she is responsible for.  We visited different places and met different people and family-members and for this gift from the Lord I praise His name!

Gift 5: Blogging:  My husband is very busy with his computer to prepare for sermons, reading about theological matters and writing articles.  I prayed about starting with a blog to share what the Lord has been teaching me with my involvement with Child Evangelism and eventually to use the blog-information as a book!  I started in May with the blog and find it very interesting.  The Lord is really blessing me with this gift to do  blogging and I pray and trust that He will give me wisdom to know what to publish from day to day. 

Gifts 6,7,8,9,10...I can continue to write about all the gifts that the Lord is giving us – gift of health, gift of retiring as a couple, gift of enough finances, gift of our home, etc. etc., 

but the biggest and best gift is the gift of God’s love that was made perfect when Jesus Christ was born and died on the cross in our place.  Our Heavenly Father helped me to accept this gift and became His child by grace! Joh. 1:12

The only gift that I and our family and our friends can give God, is to give ourselves to Him as living, holy sacrifices that are acceptable to Him.  May the Lord help us all to do what Paul calls  us to do in Rom. 12:1.

GESKENKE VAN GOD!

Billy Graham sê in sy boek, “Nearing home”: “What then is the key to a successful retirement?  See your retirement as a gift from God.  Once you understand this, you will approach retirement differently.” 

Dit is so waar!!  Nadat ek verlede Desember afgetree het, het ek dikwels vir myself afgevra: “Wat nou?  Hoe gaan ek my tyd elke dag sinvol volmaak?”   Ek wil gedurig dinge doen!  Hoe meer ek dink daaraan dat hierdie laaste deel van my lewe net soos die vorige, ‘n geskenk van God is en ek Hom daarmee moet verheerlik, hoe wonderliker vul Hy my lewe met Sy insig en GESKENKE!

 

GESKENK 1: Hartrekoefening:  Ons het op 21 Junie, ons 7de kleinkind ryker geword en ons beleef hoe ‘n Oupa en Ouma se hart kan rek om ook vir hierdie kleinkind net so lief te wees soos vir al die ander 6 kleinkinders!  Sy groei pragtig haar  ouers en het van die eerste oomblik af hul plek as ouers ingeneem asof dit hul 10de baba is!!  My skoondogter sê vir my net na die geboorte dat sy so verlief is op die baba en dat sy nou verstaan hoekom ek sommer 5 kinders wou hê! Die geskenk van kinders en kleinkinders is van die grootste geskenke wat die Here aan ons gee en ons loof en prys Hom vir ons 5 eie kinders, 3 aangetroude kinders en 7 kleinkinders en almal wat nog gaan bykom in die toekoms DV!!

GESKENK 2: Breinrekoefening:   Ons kry nog opleidingsgeleenthede en preekbeurte. Ons het in Januarie by die CEF Opleidingssentrum gaan klasgee vir 10 dae.  By die CEF Super Seminaar in April en Mei  het ons ons oudste dogter  gehelp met seminare aanbied.  Ons help met Bybelstudies van CEF werkers en my man kry baie preekbeurte en hou nog gereeld roudienste. Hierdie voorbereiding help ons breine om in oefening te bly en is ‘n geskenk van die Here!

GESKENK 3: Gasvryheidsoefening:  Ons het die afgelope jaar besoekers van oorsee ontvang en met hul rondgery en weer ons land opnuut leer waardeer.   Ons geniet ons besoekers van oorsee en plaaslik en dit is ‘n geskenk van die Here om vriende te kan ontvang en samesyn te geniet.

GESKENK 4: Padvatoefening:  Ek het vir ‘n week saam met ons jongste dogter  pad gevat na verskillende  dorpe waar sy Bavarias besoek het.  Ons het op verskillende plekke geslaap en verskillende mense ontmoet en tyd saam met familie en ou kennisse spandeer.   Wat ‘n geskenk was die padvatoefening nie!

GESKENK 5: Webjoernaal:  My man is baie bedrywig met sy rekenaar om preke voor te berei en op te lees oor verwikkelinge in die teologie.  Ek het dit oorweeg en daaroor gebid om ‘n webjoernaal (blog) te begin waar ek alles wat die Here vir my leer kan deel en later in boekvorm kan laat bind!  Ek het einde Mei begin en geniet dit geweldig baie.   My gebed is dat die Here die webjoernaal sal gebruik om Hom te verheerlik.  Van die bladsye is dit die een oor “Dagstukkies vir kinders” wat die meeste gelees word.  Die Here seën my werklik met hierdie geskenk en ek vertrou Hom om dag vir dag vir my die wysheid te gee oor wat om te publiseer.

GESKENKE 6,7,8,9,10........   Ek kan aanhou en aanhou praat oor al die geskenke wat die Here elke dag vir ons gee – geskenke van gesondheid, geskenke van saam te kan aftree, geskenke van finansies, huis, ens. ens.,  maar  die grootste geskenk is die geskenk van God se liefde wat Hy vervolmaak het met JESUS CHRISTUS se mens-wording en Sy kruisdood in ons plek.  Hierdie geskenk het die Hemelse Vader uit genade vir my laat AANNEEM sodat ek Sy kind kan wees!  Joh. 1:12.

Al geskenk wat ek en my gesin en ons familie en vriende aan die Here kan gee, is om onsself aan Hom te gee as lewende, heilige offers wat vir Hom aanneemlik is.  Mag die Here vir ons almal help om dit daagliks te doen soos Paulus in Rom. 12:1 ‘n beroep doen op die gelowiges!